Possible to use "Real Name" instead of Username?

[shutterfreak]

Originally Posted by Videx

I'm not sure why you're posting in this thread, as the virtual names hack you're working on doesn't bear any resemblance to what the OP was asking for. Maybe you should be posting over in the programming forum so people could assist with that aspect.

The OP asked for a possibility to use 2 tokens for identifying a member: the "user name" and the "real name". From what I made from the OP's question, and given the fact that vBulletin does not make the distinction between a login name and a display name, I understand that the OP wants to separate the user authentication bit (with "user name" in his post) from the way a member is known on a vBulletin board (with "real name" in his post).

In my approach I'm basically doing precisely this. However I use "login name" instead of "user name", and I use "user name" instead of "real name".

Technically the same approach.

Originally Posted by Videx

I'm sure if I think about it I can think of several administrative options with virtual names. Like - how many people could use the same name? I guess there's no technical reason everyone on the board couldn't just use the same virtual name.

My approach uses the same type of validation to check for existing user names (e.g., valid characters, cleanup etc as provided by vBulletin for the username field). In addition I check the login name for uniqueness.

In the case of the OP there still ought to be a unique identifier or vBulletin and the members of that board will be confused about which of the 5 "John Doe" members a certain participant is. For the OP this could e.g. be realized by:

1. enforcing unique login names
2. allowing non-unique display names (the names by which a member can be identified while participating on the boards)
3. making an avatar photo mandatory at registration

I do not claim to be a vBulletin expert. If you are willing to share your insights, please do so.

Originally Posted by Videx

Oh, and don't even think of releasing this as a mod until there are no template edits.

There is no way to implement this without adding the 2nd user name field (login name in my case) to the 'register' template bit. Indeed, how can vBulletin know that this field needs to be rendered (and when)?

Unless you refer to user profile fields. And then the "hack" will be much more complicated to implement IMHO as you'll have to hunt for all places where a vBulletin user name is rendered and replace it with a new profile field. Plus, you won't have the possibility to do a lot of validation checks of that field.

So according to you, because of this simple template edit, this can't be posted as a mod?

Maybe we misunderstood each other here.

[Videx]

Oh, you wouldn't be the first to release a mod which required so many template edits that I just wouldn't mess with them. Although that Template Modification System was real nice.

I think the OP was just asking how he could force users to use real names. He didn't ask about virtual names (or second user names) at all. VB has always used numbers to identify members. So in theory there's no reason you couldn't have say, 10 alternate aliases in your Settings and you could change them as the mood strikes you. Not for my forum, but I can picture lots of people installing a virtual name mod if it was easy enough.

[shutterfreak]

Originally Posted by Videx

Oh, you wouldn't be the first to release a mod which required so many template edits that I just wouldn't mess with them. Although that Template Modification System was real nice.

Fortunately I managed to limit the template edits to 1: a mere addition of some HTML & template preprocessor code, no replacements

I see no reason yet why this should change.

Originally Posted by Videx

I think the OP was just asking how he could force users to use real names. He didn't ask about virtual names (or second user names) at all. VB has always used numbers to identify members. So in theory there's no reason you couldn't have say, 10 alternate aliases in your Settings and you could change them as the mood strikes you. Not for my forum, but I can picture lots of people installing a virtual name mod if it was easy enough.

You're right about the internal identifiers used in vBulletin: they're all numbers. This is 'never' exposed to the users. for this reason I infer that the OP thought about the 'username' field as the identifier he wanted to be the real name of a participant.

[Mostjolly]

Facebook is king because they make it easy to find friends (and find friends is by their real name), if FB uses usernames... good luck searching your friends with that..

I could find any friends on facebook, not quite with mayspace cause majority of times people uses like babyboo, sweeteyes.. how the hell I know who they are? but if they put Mike Joes, Nancy Mitchell (one of my friend) then hell yeah I'll join a forum cause my friends is on there.. get the point?? Beside using real names creates a more personal identity for connection & interacting with friends..

Yelp and Facebook is ahead of their game just with the "Real Name" concepts..

[F. Krueger]

Originally Posted by TimberFloorAu

May I ask why you want people to use their real Names ?

Our vBulletin is for an extended family connection.
We have over 1000 extended family members.

When you are dealing with family you dont need to be as worried when its verified users only.

[Amaury]

Originally Posted by F. Krueger

Our vBulletin is for an extended family connection.
We have over 1000 extended family members.

When you are dealing with family you dont need to be as worried when its verified users only.

You do realize this thread's from 2010, right?