Can't update my profile due to special characters in my name...

[Viper GTS]

This is nice, I can't update my profile because of the space in my name.

I get a nifty little error:

ERROR: Your username contains special characters. Usernames must only contain alphabetical or numeric characters.

I know you don't allow new registration with spaces, but when did you kill the ability to update your profile?

Viper GTS

 

[Confused]

Since the upgrade basically is when this changed. To change your profile you'll have to have the space removed from your user name, that's the only way AFAIK.


Confused

 

[Viper GTS]

Originally posted by: Confused
Since the upgrade basically is when this changed. To change your profile you'll have to have the space removed from your user name, that's the only way AFAIK.


Confused

I've updated my profile since then with no problems...

Viper GTS

 

[Jason Clark]

I doubt your update every happened, as on update it checks your nickname. Any special chars aren't allowed, which was the same in the old version. It just wasnt checked when you update your profile after the fact.

 

[Viper GTS]

Originally posted by: JasonClark
I doubt your update every happened, as on update it checks your nickname. Any special chars aren't allowed, which was the same in the old version. It just wasnt checked when you update your profile after the fact.

I'm 99% sure I have changed my signature since the upgrade, but I could be wrong. I know for a fact I've modified profile info since the upgrade, I set the security questions & changed my color settings.

What exactly is the point of checking for special characters on profile update? If you've prevented registration with those characters there should be no need, & if you allowed registration in the past you've instantly created a HUGE administration problem since all the users with special characters can no longer update their profiles. We don't have the ability to fix it ourselves since we can't change our usernames, so every single one of us will need Mod assistance to fix it.

Do I need to request a name change?

Viper GTS

 

[Jason Clark]

We realize the problem, what you might not realize is the security implications of allowing the characters..

I could be Viper GTS_ and when you view me, I would look NO different than you... impersonation is not allowed. Remember FuseTalk has no idea that 4 years ago for a brief time, spaces were allowed So software side, I'm not sure if a workaround can be put in.

 

[Viper GTS]

Originally posted by: JasonClark
We realize the problem, what you might not realize is the security implications of allowing the characters..

I could be Viper GTS_ and when you view me, I would look NO different than you... impersonation is not allowed. Remember FuseTalk has no idea that 4 years ago for a brief time, spaces were allowed So software side, I'm not sure if a workaround can be put in.

I understand the problem, things like " Viper GTS ", etc. What I don't get is the need to check at any point after initial registration.

It just seems redundant, especially for installations which do not have an existing userbase (or a userbase which has never been allowed special characters).

Viper GTS

 

[Mr.Diggler]

Ditto what Viper GTS said.

I want to delete the middle line in my signature, but can't for this same reason. Do I need to request an admin to delete it for me?

What about when I change my email? Then too?

If that's how you want it, that's fine with me. I don't mind, but it seems like a waste of time for the admins.

 

[Aves]

Originally posted by: Mr.Diggler
Ditto what Viper GTS said.

I want to delete the middle line in my signature, but can't for this same reason. Do I need to request an admin to delete it for me?

What about when I change my email? Then too?

If that's how you want it, that's fine with me. I don't mind, but it seems like a waste of time for the admins.

Most likely they're going to change your nick, not make the edits for you.

 

[Jason Clark]

Again, this isn't a fusetalk issue or really a forum issue for that matter. It's difficult to explain without you understanding the layers of security in fusetalk which are not set to one forum. FuseTalk isn't like most other boards out there. This install could run 1000 anandtechs from one install all dynamically and indivudally controlled via separate admins and controlled by a god admin which sets some of the security settings like spaces in characters.

L8r.

 

[NikPreviousAcct]

I still don't see why the profile has to check the username for illegal characters if the registration form does it. It's not like we users can change our usernames. The mods can, but they can check for illegal characters themselves before changing the username. Disallowing user-level username changes and having the registration form check for illegal characters is plenty of security. Having the profile update button check for illegal characters in usernames is just stupid.

 

[Shawn]

Originally posted by: FFMCobalt
I still don't see why the profile has to check the username for illegal characters if the registration form does it. It's not like we users can change our usernames. The mods can, but they can check for illegal characters themselves before changing the username. Disallowing user-level username changes and having the registration form check for illegal characters is plenty of security. Having the profile update button check for illegal characters in usernames is just stupid.

agreed! all this does is mess things up for the users if the admin decides to change the forum settings to not allow special characters at a later time.

 

[Mr.Diggler]

Originally posted by: JasonClark
This install could run 1000 anandtechs from one install all dynamically and indivudally controlled via separate admins and controlled by a god admin which sets some of the security settings like spaces in characters.

But it doesn't, does it?

I agree with FFMCobalt and iloveme2 and maintain this is a design flaw, nothing major obviously, but an oversight nonetheless.

If you allow users to change their names, then yes, you need to check for name validity upon profile updates. So if that is an option in some Fuse installs, then I can see where this check came from. A better design would be to separate the name change functionality from the rest of the profile changes...that way you could have the option for user-changed names if the board admin wants it, but still allow grandfathered invalid names to update the rest of their profiles.

Forcing users to have their name changed to the current constraints is just a good way to irritate loyal forum members like Viper GTS and myself, who have been here for a combined nine years.

I don't believe this is how we will be treated. I think if we are just patient and wait a bit, this oversight will be taken care of. Confirmation of that belief would be appreciated though.

 

[Iron Woode]

Originally posted by: Viper GTS

Originally posted by: JasonClark
I doubt your update every happened, as on update it checks your nickname. Any special chars aren't allowed, which was the same in the old version. It just wasnt checked when you update your profile after the fact.

I'm 99% sure I have changed my signature since the upgrade, but I could be wrong. I know for a fact I've modified profile info since the upgrade, I set the security questions & changed my color settings.

What exactly is the point of checking for special characters on profile update? If you've prevented registration with those characters there should be no need, & if you allowed registration in the past you've instantly created a HUGE administration problem since all the users with special characters can no longer update their profiles. We don't have the ability to fix it ourselves since we can't change our usernames, so every single one of us will need Mod assistance to fix it.

Do I need to request a name change?

Viper GTS

I too have a space in my name and I have updated before. It was about 1 month ago. I removed my I B T L mod quote and put in a quote by theanimala.

 

[Electric Amish]

So, what are we supposed to do???

 

[Aves]

Originally posted by: Electric Amish
So, what are we supposed to do???

Eveyone else has had to PM a mod to have the character removed.

 

[Beau]

may as well remove I and l (capital i and lower L)too then... the look to similar,

if may name was lan or Ian, I could still 'impersonate' someone....

:roll:

 

[Lord Evermore]

gheeeeeeeeyyyyy

but then I probably don't need to voice my opinion about this sort of thing. I was going to change my sig to question why this forum wouldn't be "actively" monitored.

 

[Lord Evermore]

Oh yeah, and there were previous upgrades where this was an issue, and it was fixed so that we could keep our names. As Mr.Diggler said, it just punishes people that have been around long enough to have such names. And in my case, it's just one more item making it seem like the forums are less friendly.

Not even sure why a space is a special character. Or why adding an underscore to a name would make it look the same as the original. Isn't impersonation one of the things mods are for?

 

[GtPrOjEcTX]

Originally posted by: Lord Evermore
Not even sure why a space is a special character. Or why adding an underscore to a name would make it look the same as the original.

I think it was already answered by Jason.

Here's why.

"Lord Evermore"
" Lord Evermore"
"Lord Evermore "

if spaces were allowed, all three of these there would be problems. I'm an ASP coder so I'll explain in that language but I assume things aren't that different.

In forms when retrieving data, its a good idea to get rid of the spaces around data passed for many reasons, one such reason is to prevent buffer overflow (that is giving so much data that it screws up and returns some code or something useful to the person trying to screw something up.)

So, programmers use something like a "TRIM" command that will take said data, and take all the spaces off from the right and left of the actual data....that is TRIM(" Lord Evermore") becomes "Lord Evermore". Obviously a problem because the person with the space in front of their name will never be able to login because they would be trying to get on with your username.


Now, why this is needed to be checked when changing the profile? The only thing I can come up with is it guards against people being able to change their usernames through other means.

 

[Don Vito Corleone]

I ended up having to have my underscore removed for this very reason. I had definitely updated my profile since the update, but found more recently that I wasn't allowed to. No big deal from my perspective, but I can understand your frustration.

 

[NikPreviousAcct]

They don't call it a downgrade for no reason!

 

[xDanielx]

I recently ran into this problem and the error brought me here. I have been around here for quite some time as well (I havn't seen many members with join dates pre-dating mine by more than a few weeks). I can understand a space being a concern, but not a *. I had this nick since the old "AGN" days as well as on ebay. I even used to have it on heatware (though after the hot deals section became popular I never needed to buy anything there again) We users can't change our user name without a request anyway so why is there a check when we try to update our profiles? I would like to change my icon, or maybe update my sig. I think it is a concern that needs to be fixed.... But I must thank the mods/webmaster, they do a fantastic job and have for years. I am happy my username works at all.

 

[Lord Evermore]

I still don't see the issue with spaces. Again, isn't that what mods are for. And, nobody should have so much invested in a free forum that it is that big an issue. When it comes down to it, if something important enough is happening that you really need to know if it's the right person, you should have caught on by then. Spaces were allowed, why take them AWAY. Just don't allow any more. Give us some actual prize for being elite, let us keep our names.

As for trimming names, that'd just be pointless. But, that could also be done when the nickname is CREATED in the firstplace.

a
?

Those two letters aren't the same. Ban the letter A. (Or at least they aren't the same character code. I can't see whether you could register two names with those two, since then I'd actually have committed a bannable offense.)

And discussion after the "answer" isn't invalid. Just means nobody in charges gives a damn.

Heh, guess I know what the forums does with that letter now. So ignore that part, it was a Cyrillic a.

 

[Kyteland]

Are they allowing spaces in usernames again? I just saw a noob post in OT and he had a space.

http://forums.anandtech.com/me...2329&enterthread=y