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You are here: Home > Forum > A Place of Safety > General Talk > Strange "Reset Password" Process!
Strange "Reset Password" Process!   [message #71199] Mon, 07 March 2016 00:58 Go to next message
James Matthews is currently offline  James Matthews

Toe is in the water
Location: United Kingdom
Registered: May 2015
Messages: 93



Ok, I admit, maybe I'm not the brightest tool in the box. But Timmy, I have to say that the process for resetting a password on IOM was almost toe curling to the point where I got keyboard rage.

After doing a junk sweep of my computer today I accidently wiped all my saved passwords. So because I had some weird one on here I had to try and guess what it was. Nope Couldn't remember!

I hit the forgotten password link and was informed I will receive an e-mail shortly - which I do. I click on the email and am given some instructions that in a nutshell tell me to click on a link to reset. So I click on this link and arrive back at the sign in page where it is asking me to input my password again. What password? I haven't been given one yet? So I try again, pressing forgotten password... bla bla rinse and repeat. I go back to my e-mails and now find two e-mails. One which gives me a new random password and another which is like the first one, with a link. Ahh, I think, I now have my new password. So I take my random password copy it and return to the home page. Nope, site will not play ball and tells me it's wrong. GRRRRR!

10 minutes and 6 repeats pass..........................................

So I've worked it out. You actually get two e-mails. The first with a link to reset - This essentially does nothing and is a waste of time. It's purpose is unknown. The second is what you need, the one with the random password on it. Because, if you are a fool like me and press on the link, then think it hasn't done anything, your natural response is to press the forgot password link again which essentially makes the first random password expire. As a fool this led me to go around and around in circles for ages.

Please Timmy, my sanity depends on it, please make this easier, I thought I was locked out for life! 

[Updated on: Mon, 07 March 2016 01:19] by Moderator

Re: Strange "Reset Password" Process!   [message #71201 is a reply to message #71199] Mon, 07 March 2016 06:59 Go to previous messageGo to next message
timmy

Has no life at all
Location: UK, in Devon
Registered: February 2003
Messages: 13739



Changing this process, one that seems to be as bizarre as you say, means working out the way the forum works. This means delving deep into the code. Doing that means that, when we update to the current software version, something we have to do periodically, that would need to be re-done.

We didn't knit the forum together ourselves. We got it from a standard source. We didn't design anything except the look and feel.



Author of Queer Me! Halfway Between Flying and Crying - the true story of life for a gay boy in the Swinging Sixties in a British all male Public School
Re: Strange "Reset Password" Process!   [message #71247 is a reply to message #71201] Sun, 13 March 2016 05:38 Go to previous messageGo to next message
dgt224 is currently offline  dgt224

Toe is in the water
Location: USA
Registered: May 2011
Messages: 81



"timmy wrote on Mon, 07 March 2016 01:59"
Changing this process, one that seems to be as bizarre as you say, means working out the way the forum works. This means delving deep into the code. Doing that means that, when we update to the current software version, something we have to do periodically, that would need to be re-done.

--
Would it be possible to add a line to the first e-mail? Something along the lines of "Your new password is being sent in a separate e-mail; when you have it, click this link and use it to log in." Or add something similar to the message that is displayed when someone has requested a password reset. That might alleviate most of the potential confusion without requiring any changes to the logic of the underlying software. You're still faced with a maintenance problem, but it should be a much simpler problem. And if the underlying system has been internationalized, the messages it displays are probably sitting in a text file somewhere, for ease of translation. (One can only hope!)
Re: Strange "Reset Password" Process!   [message #71251 is a reply to message #71247] Sun, 13 March 2016 09:40 Go to previous messageGo to next message
timmy

Has no life at all
Location: UK, in Devon
Registered: February 2003
Messages: 13739



Quote:
dgt224 wrote on Sun, 13 March 2016 05:38
Quote:
timmy wrote on Mon, 07 March 2016 01:59Changing this process, one that seems to be as bizarre as you say, means working out the way the forum works. This means delving deep into the code. Doing that means that, when we update to the current software version, something we have to do periodically, that would need to be re-done.

--
Would it be possible to add a line to the first e-mail? Something along the lines of "Your new password is being sent in a separate e-mail; when you have it, click this link and use it to log in." Or add something similar to the message that is displayed when someone has requested a password reset. That might alleviate most of the potential confusion without requiring any changes to the logic of the underlying software. You're still faced with a maintenance problem, but it should be a much simpler problem. And if the underlying system has been internationalized, the messages it displays are probably sitting in a text file somewhere, for ease of translation. (One can only hope!)

--
The concept is great. Implementation is, at present, hard as hell, because I can't find it!!! That is always the problem with things like this



Author of Queer Me! Halfway Between Flying and Crying - the true story of life for a gay boy in the Swinging Sixties in a British all male Public School
Re: Strange "Reset Password" Process!   [message #71255 is a reply to message #71251] Mon, 14 March 2016 06:23 Go to previous messageGo to next message
dgt224 is currently offline  dgt224

Toe is in the water
Location: USA
Registered: May 2011
Messages: 81



If the software is open source, feel free to point me at it; I might be able to find the right place for that sort of change and at least tell you where to look. No promises, as I haven't done any real programming for several years now.
Re: Strange "Reset Password" Process!   [message #71256 is a reply to message #71255] Mon, 14 March 2016 16:37 Go to previous messageGo to next message
timmy

Has no life at all
Location: UK, in Devon
Registered: February 2003
Messages: 13739



Quote:
dgt224 wrote on Mon, 14 March 2016 06:23If the software is open source, feel free to point me at it; I might be able to find the right place for that sort of change and at least tell you where to look. No promises, as I haven't done any real programming for several years now.

--
I've sent you a private message because I don't want to discuss the structure of the software in the open.



Author of Queer Me! Halfway Between Flying and Crying - the true story of life for a gay boy in the Swinging Sixties in a British all male Public School
Re: Strange "Reset Password" Process!   [message #71257 is a reply to message #71256] Mon, 14 March 2016 23:20 Go to previous messageGo to next message
timmy

Has no life at all
Location: UK, in Devon
Registered: February 2003
Messages: 13739



Thank you to you both, the one for stating the problem and the other for showing me where to look, It still took Megaman to solve the issue. We have the whole area very locked down technically. I even managed to get myself locked out twice while trying to find my way in.

I have solved the issue simply. The password reset screen tells you now that there are two emails, and that one contains the new data to use in the other



Author of Queer Me! Halfway Between Flying and Crying - the true story of life for a gay boy in the Swinging Sixties in a British all male Public School
icon14.gif Re: Strange "Reset Password" Process!   [message #71258 is a reply to message #71257] Tue, 15 March 2016 10:43 Go to previous messageGo to next message
timmy

Has no life at all
Location: UK, in Devon
Registered: February 2003
Messages: 13739



After further advice, for which much thanks, I have added to the "forgot password" dialogue and to the email messages. The process is quite complicated and it is designed to do its level best to protect your password from nefarious people.

What happens is as follows:
  1. Click "Forgot password" on the login screen and enter your email address
  2. An email arrives with instructions and a link to click
  3. When you click the link, two things happen simultaneously
  4. An email with your new password is triggered from our server
  5. The login screen opens up afresh.
  6. Use the password we generate to log in to the new screen. You may have to request that your inbox is refreshed in order to find it
  7. Once logged in, if you wish to change our autogenerated password, go to your Forum Control Panel, choose "Account Settings" and do whatever you wish there.

I reckon this is pretty complicated. I cannot change that complexity, but I am very grateful for having had it explained to me so that I can explain it to you.

Whatever I do in the emails and the screen wording folk will still get it wrong, but I've given it, with a lot of help, my best shot.



Author of Queer Me! Halfway Between Flying and Crying - the true story of life for a gay boy in the Swinging Sixties in a British all male Public School
Re: Strange "Reset Password" Process!   [message #71260 is a reply to message #71258] Wed, 16 March 2016 00:22 Go to previous messageGo to next message
James Matthews is currently offline  James Matthews

Toe is in the water
Location: United Kingdom
Registered: May 2015
Messages: 93



Hail Hail!

Ok so for shits and giggles I took it for a test run with the new instructions - much better. I'd just like to add that as a user of this new improved function I am as happy as Jake Bass with a bag'a dicks! Smile
Re: Strange "Reset Password" Process!   [message #71262 is a reply to message #71260] Wed, 16 March 2016 21:10 Go to previous message
timmy

Has no life at all
Location: UK, in Devon
Registered: February 2003
Messages: 13739



Quote:
WestcliffWriter wrote on Wed, 16 March 2016 00:22Hail Hail!

Ok so for shits and giggles I took it for a test run with the new instructions - much better. I'd just like to add that as a user of this new improved function I am as happy as Jake Bass with a bag'a dicks! Smile

--
Phew!



Author of Queer Me! Halfway Between Flying and Crying - the true story of life for a gay boy in the Swinging Sixties in a British all male Public School
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