How to force certain user options on every user ?

[Marcel Lee]

I'm trying to figure-out how to force certain user options on every user. For example, I want every user to have their Default View Age set to Show all threads and their Message Editor Interface set to Show Standard Editor Toolbar.

I already have those options set by default in the admin control panel, but that only works for users who registered after I made the changes. How do I make them apply to all users?

[Marcel Lee]

What's going on with this board?? First I had to set my IE Security level to high in order to post; now my post isn't showing-up.

[Jtague]

Marcel,

There are Automatic Querys to handle this.

Go to AdminCP->Maintenance->Execute SQL Query-> from the Automatic Query dropdown menu select the one you want

The 2 options you specified are in the dropdown menu.

This assumes you have permission to run queries

JT

[Trevor Hannant]

Once you've set these via what JT's said above, you'll need to edit the relevant template(s) to stop users from changing these again. In fact, I'd edit the templates first so that no-one changes it in between...

[Marcel Lee]

Thanks for the prompt responses. I had no idea about the automatic query thing. That made it so easy to do what I wanted to do.

Rather than edit the templates to stop users from changing those "options", which I'm guessing I'll have to redo every time I upgrade my board, I think I'll just start running the queries every now and then; now that I know how to do it.

[cellarius]

Rather than edit the templates to stop users from changing those "options", which I'm guessing I'll have to redo every time I upgrade my board, I think I'll just start running the queries every now and then; now that I know how to do it.

I wouldn't recommend to do that. If I were a user at your board I'd probably change back to the extended editor once or twice and then never come back because it would annoy me that my settings get overriden all the time. If you don't want an option to be used, don't offer it, but don't let people choose it and then take it away from them (and this maybe several times!).

[Marcel Lee]

Yeah, you're right. It's better to take the options away. But is editing the templates by deleting those sections the best way to do it? There's no switch in the admin control panel that would allow me to simply make it so that users never see those options? If not, are they; the options that are listed on the "Automatic" dropdown menu, under Execute SQL Query; in the "modifyoptions" template? I assume so, but I'd like some confirmation before I start deleting.

[zomega]

Just out of curiosity why do you want to deny user options?

[Marcel Lee]

Well, it's a different reason for each option.

I want every user to have their Default View Age set to Show all threads to make sure they can see every thread listed in every forum, which is essential to me, whether they actually want to or not. I want every Message Editor Interface set to Show Standard Editor Toolbar because it seems that, for some reason, on my board, users aren't able to post; at-least not when using a certain version of Internet Explorer; with the Enhanced one enabled. And so on.

You might be thinking that users could just go back and change their options if they experience any problems or whatever, but I can't just assume they know what they're doing. One philosophy I have for my site when it comes to usability is to make it as simple as possible. It's not that I assume the average user is an idiot; it's just that I think making it convenient for idiots at the expense of giving everyone else a little less control is a worthy sacrifice.

I've actually had users send me messages saying there's a problem with the site, only to discover that the source of the problem was their user options being set a certain way.