Topic: Pre-install users?

Hi. I'm using version 1.1 of the forum and am nothing but really satisfied with all features that come with this version.

One thing though...I'd like to be able to pre-install my users to prevent 'outside users' to register to my forum (it's 'by invitation only'). Something like their email as initial username and a random password of some sort.

It strikes me as kindof similar to the confirmation email that can be send right after someone registers 'normally'. The recipient of the email then logs in for the first time and is promted to change his/her password.

Is there some way to send such an email and adding the information to the user table without making registration on the forum possible?

Re: Pre-install users?

Couldn't you just allow the people that should be registered register and then disable registrations?

"Programming is like sex: one mistake and you have to support it for the rest of your life."

Re: Pre-install users?

Well, I suppose I could do that, but the problem with that is that there is not really one moment to pick to temporarily open registrations. The initial bulk will probably respond within a week after announcing the forum is open, but what to do with those who don't make it to register within that week? I would find it rather tricky to open up registrations every time a new member wants to join. It's virtually impossible to define a time window for the new member to fill in its registration before registrations close again (s.th. like 'new registrations only fridays from 19 till 22').

I am currently investigating two possible solutions:

- writing some sort of off-forum registration procedure where I can add the initial information and write it to the database and than manually mail all new members their initial login info. Downside of this option is that I would have to deal with all table columns to fill them in correctly to prevent frustrating the database handling of the forum.

- manually adding all new members 'the normal way', i.e. by filling in the registration form myself and let the forum mail the confirmation mail to the new member. This way, all database handling and required fields and stuff is dealt with in the normal way. The only thing I would have to do is restrict the use of new member registration to myself (probably means making it an administrator privilege). This second option will probably take very little extra coding to be effective.

I'm still very much open for other suggestions! Thanks for thinking along!

4

Re: Pre-install users?

I was going to suggest the second method as that seems the normal way of doing it. Another way would be to password protect the registration form and email people the password.

Re: Pre-install users?

Hmmm, password protecting could indeed be the answer to my problem. And to prevent others to use the same password, I could always define a list of friendly e-mail addresses to test the subscribers against. I think that could do the trick.

Please do not take me for some kind of paranoid admin or something or that the topics on my forum are of some kind of obscure nature, but I'm kinda keen on knowing who's on my forum wink

Re: Pre-install users?

I'd go with the password protection thingy. That or simply renaming the register.php file to something else.

"Programming is like sex: one mistake and you have to support it for the rest of your life."

7 (edited by Paul 2004-03-05 15:16)

Re: Pre-install users?

If you don't mind excluding guests from viewing the forum the simplest solution of all might be to password protect the whole part of your site with PunBB in it. That way you don't have to alter PunBB at all.

As for being paranoid, not at all. Using a bbs sysem as a private bulletin board for a group of friends or co-workers etc is a perfectly reasonable way to use it. In some cases, for example where you know children are going to be joining, then it would be essential to have an adult admin to restrict who can do what.