A member's profile url should be the username

[peartree5]

Usually, a member's profile url is usually long and annoying. Wouldn't it be easier to have the member's profile url be the username? For example: http://boardurlhere/username/

[nickvergessen]

You will get a problem, if a user names himself viewtopic.php? or something

[keith10456]

+1

I currently use a mod for this. The stated "problem" by Nick can be avoided by blocking certain usernames.

[Jessica.]

-1

What if you linked to a user's profile and later that user changes his/her username? That link would be useless...

[imkingdavid]

Fwiw user profiles can be accessed by usernames currently by using the un parameter like so:
memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&un=imkingdavid

Granted, this is not the link generated by default, but moving to something closer to what the OP wants will have to wait until the main files are converted to the controller/routing system and the paths issue is worked out. Once that is done, I'd go for a url like ./user/username. This would make usernames like viewtopic.php no longer an issue.

[Pete77s]

+1 have been using a MOD that handles this for a while now. Never had a problem with it even if I allowed members to change name...

-1

What if you linked to a user's profile and later that user changes his/her username? That link would be useless...

It would be useless but then again, profile links are useless outside the forum too. profiles have no content value to search engines and so generally ppl would have to login to view a profile anyway.

The worst that happens is a The requested user does not exist. that is if admin allows username changes.

[nickvergessen]

The stated "problem" by Nick can be avoided by blocking certain usernames.

Well users that do already exist would have to be renamed?

But however, as IKD said, this should be really easy with 3.1

[Dragosvr92]

But what if you redirect the old usernames that one user previously had, to what they currently have ?
(Could mention it to them that the user changed their username and be redirected on the new one.)

Could just add an extra field in the user row, which stores a list of all the usernames the person had, and obviously, they will not be allowed for registration.
Could use that list on the users profile and list all usernames they had, so that users who view the profile may see if they knew them under the old name..

New permissions would be added for that incase the admin doesnt want users to see old usernames.
Or if the admin wants to add a limit on how many times a user is allowed to change their username if the option to change it is enabled.

I dont think the thing with a user named viewtopic.php would be such a big issue.

The username, whatever it might be, would be added in a user category and can be configured so that it wont be interpreted like a php page.

Code: Select all

http://area51.phpbb.com/phpBB/userprofile/viewtopic.php

Or we could just decline any user registrations that contain a file extension.
If there are users that have an extension in their username, when upgrading phpbb to the new version, it could check all usernames to verify this and notify you that they have to be changed. Give you a one click solution that will ask you if you want to have the extension removed. Lots of solutions there....

[Un1matr1x]

But what if you redirect the old usernames that one user previously had, to what they currently have ?
(Could mention it to them that the user changed their username and be redirected on the new one.)

Could just add an extra field in the user row, which stores a list of all the usernames the person had, and obviously, they will not be allowed for registration.
Could use that list on the users profile and list all usernames they had, so that users who view the profile may see if they knew them under the old name..

This would only be really usefull if the user is able to change the username - but if this is the case, what would stop me from occupy / reserve several common names by rename 100000 times?

[Dragosvr92]

This would only be really usefull if the user is able to change the username - but if this is the case, what would stop me from occupy / reserve several common names by rename 100000 times?

Read properly what was written..
"Or if the admin wants to add a limit on how many times a user is allowed to change their username if the option to change it is enabled."

Why in hell would someone "reserve" themselves a bunch of usernames ? Theres no advantage in it.
One changes their user only if they really must.

Oh yeah. There should be an option for the admin to "free" a previous username for registration.
If you register by mistake user "whateve" and want to modify it into "whatever", the redirect would not have any point.