Members may use and change "display name"

[Sat4all]

As suggested in serveral threads like this one:
http://www.vbulletin.org/forum/showthread.php?t=171767&highlight=username but still an important missing feature.

We like to migrate from ubb.threads, so we got ourselves a license for vbb and have done a succesfull import, everything works, but we still can't migrate.
Why? Well that's simple. We can't import 40.500 members on their "display name" since in most cases that name differs from the "username" so that would confuse our members.
Importing the UBB.threads publicly NON VISIBLE "username" would reveal private information such as the members real name.
Vbulletin, please add the feature for members to use (and change) a "display name" and (different) username (logon name).
Manny message boards supports this, and the "best" message board software is still missing this feature.:(
If you add this, please make it so that administrators (if they like) can set "approve display name change" and list all "display name change requests" to a queue, like the "registration approval queue"

Ron

[Dilly]

Infopop?

[Gladius]

You can fake PDNs with vBulletin via custom profile fields (there should be hacks on .org for it and I think I saw how-to's on how to do it here too). Bottom line, it can be done, with a bit of effort... but I'd rather go with a one-time switch from PDNs to vB's user names. In the long run, having just one user/login name is less of a hassle for the admins as well as the users. I've tried both and though it bothered me initially, if Jelsoft finally allowed for proper username changes by the users, the concept of PDNs would become obsolete. The only downside right now is that only admins can change usernames in vB.

[petteyg359]

You can fake PDNs with vBulletin via custom profile fields (there should be hacks on .org for it and I think I saw how-to's on how to do it here too). Bottom line, it can be done, with a bit of effort...

Make that a heck of a lot of effort. Changing postbit to use that custom profile field is easy. Modifying all the database queries so that you can use that custom profile field in threadbit, "who's online", forumbit, new posts, etc., is a quite a lot of work. It is beyond a simple mod/hack to achieve.


if Jelsoft finally allowed for proper username changes by the users, the concept of PDNs would become obsolete. The only downside right now is that only admins can change usernames in vB. You're completely missing a major reason for display names. The actual login username is non-public this way, which can greatly enhance security.


I have a forum with many people, who for some reason or other, can't understand the concept of secure passwords, and a bunch of others (this is a forum for a game) who are constantly trying to break into accounts with weak passwords. Unique display names are an absolute must for me. I'd really like to not have to switch to IPB...

[Gladius]

I think you're approaching it from the wrong angle. Just a couple of days ago I saw an excellent mod on .org that recommends secure passwords at registration and gives you a bunch of other options to prevent users from using crappy passwords. PDNs were never intended primarily for extra security but simply so that users could easily change their displayed names.

The whole point of passwords is that they need to be secure - and you can force/assist users to make them such to a large extent. vB again provides nothing in this respect (here's hoping for 4), but there are several such security mods on .org.

[petteyg359]

For me, as the admin of the board, it would be much easier to simply have a display name in the software rather than having to install extra mods. That's the purpose of this request. If you don't need display names for your board, then you don't need them, and if they get added to vB, you can probably disable them. Either way, why are you in this thread? This isn't the "argue against new features" area.

[Gladius]

I'm not arguing against it, I'm trying to give you a solution you can use now as opposed to 2+ years later, because you're not going to see it sooner even if Jelsoft suddenly decided to add it (which is unlikely, given their resistance to it thus far). I've run boards where we had PDNs (several UBBs) and now we can do without without too much of an inconvenience. But back then I was as convinced about the incredible value of PDNs as you are now. Of course, if you think that banging your head against the wall makes more sense, then by all means, go for it.

[salava]

I fully support and recommend this idea.
Display [or Preferred] names will be very useful, if it will be a feature of the board and not only hack based on profile fields as in http://www.vbulletin.org/forum/showthread.php?t=184414 or http://www.vbulletin.org/forum/showthread.php?t=165253.
I appreciate user info displayed on ALL pages and statistics editable by users and different to username used for login.
Also, such feature is implemented now in phpBB3, SMF, UBB etc. and it complicates conversions to vBulletin.

[Quillz]

I support this idea. It works very well in IP.Board, and I'm still surprised that vBulletin, with a new emphasis on social networking, still does not natively support such a simple, basic feature.

[David Grove]

I personally don't want users to be able to change their display name, but I suppose as long as it's an option that can be disabled, it would be ok.

[Quillz]

I personally don't want users to be able to change their display name, but I suppose as long as it's an option that can be disabled, it would be ok.
It should be. The way it works on IP.Board is that if you enable the feature at all, then you can set it up to only allow x number of display name changes every x days. For example, on my board, I only allow two display name changes every 60 days.

But all this is also controlled by user groups, so the staff group, for example, can do two display name changes every 30 days.