UBB.threads PHP Forum Software Community Forums UBB.classic [Archived] UBB.classic Bugs [NOTABUG] Bug? Designed behavior?

This is a tad bit confusing, so bear with me.

On our forums, we have a signature image that we give to users who have been 'bad.' We go to the control panel, uncheck the 'User is Able to Update Profile,' and put in our own custom image into their signature that says "I was almost banned"

Now, someone found a way around this, and I am unsure if this is a bug, but it's annoying.

Even though we have checked that the user is not able to update profile, the user is STILL able to disable the 'signature' option in their Preferences. This allows them to remove the BANNED signature that we have put in.

Now, is this designed behavior? Shouldn't the ability to have a signature or not be part of updating one's profile? Shouldn't that be blocked as well, once we disallowed them from updating their profile?

I just tested on my boards(6.7.1) where I remove profile update rights from a test user, and change the signature. I was unable to duplicate the behavior.

Trying to visit the edit profile link nets the error (FYI
Sorry, your profile has been specifically locked by the board administrators. This means that you may not make any changes to your registered profile information. )

Are you sure you are not viewing a cached page with the old signature?? A way to test that would be to edit a post on the page, and submit. That will invalidate the cache for that page, and reload avatars, signatures, etc.

Ron, is it possible they're just unchecking "Show signature" on the reply page, without editing their profile at all?

That does allow the user to successfully remove the signature. CC would have to chime on whether that is intended or not, with the control. If I'm not mistaken, the Show Signature control gets its default setting from the profile, then the user is allowed to override that via the checkbox. Technically, that is not a profile edit because the checkbox reverts to the default after that post. They would have to uncheck that for every post in order to effectively remove the signature if their profile is locked.

I find that Custom Titles and/or avatars are a better way to tag problem users. I put in a title of "I Got Banned!" for banned users as opposed to nuking their account.

Yes Ian, that is what they are doing. Enabling and disabling a signature is part of your profile in my eyes, especially how we use it. If a user's profile is locked, they shouldn't be able to change how people see their profile at ALL in my opinion. Waiting to see what Charles says about it.....

But they are not modifying their profile, they are changing default posting behavior for the post they are making as I posted before. The checkbox on the posting form gets the default value from the profile.

Correct, but a signature, in my mind, is still PART of a profile. It doesn't only affect what THEY see, it affects what OTHERS see as well.

I know it affects others, as I have tested this on my boards. You may see that checkbox as part of the profile, and the only relationship to the profile is the default value is read from the profile. So the code is performing as designed (Reference: Lines 158-162 in /cgi-bin/ubb_new_reply.cgi). Whether or not that is the desired behavior, Charles would be the one to say that.

I posted a couple of alternative solutions earlier in the thread, you should possibly look into those.

*still waiting to hear*

The ability for users not to include their signature with their posts is not a component of their preferences. This is not a bug.

Very misleading. I believe that choosing whether to HAVE a signature or NOT HAVE a signature is very much a part of a the user's profile preferences. When someone has their profile LOCKED, they shouldn't be able to modify how other user's view them in any way. Oh well...

Exactly; it's a part of their preferances. Preferances are how they would like to look at the board, it's not just normal profile data...

But it doesn't only affect how THEY look at the board, it affects how OTHERS see the board when they disable their signature......even though their profile is locked.

their profile contains the default preference, not the actual choice that's used by posts. They are choosing to do something contrary to a choice they made in their profile, but the profile is unchanged. The signature is the same as when you locked it. The preference to show signatures is the same as before. The only part of the profile that is changed by making that post is the post count

They are NOT modifying their profile in any manner whatsoever. They are adjusting a Posting Preference, which they set the default value for in their Profile. Honestly, it isn't misleading. It would be if you were not able to adjust that preference. Plus the checkbox only affects the current post, as I pointed out early in this thread.

You are saying things that I already know. However, I'm simply stating that I think that if a user's profile is locked, the ability to change their PREFERENCES should be locked as well. As in a FULL BLOWN LOCKOUT.

I give up; here's my towel.

That wasn't required, Gizzy. In any case, I'm closing this.