# IMPORTANT! If your user name has a space in it or a non-alphanumeric character READ THIS **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [June 12, 2020, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/important-if-your-user-name-has-a-space-in-it-or-a-non-alphanumeric-character-read-this/855560 "2020-06-12T20:15:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2020, 10:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/important-if-your-user-name-has-a-space-in-it-or-a-non-alphanumeric-character-read-this/855560/61 "2020-06-13T10:43:22Z")
Check my name, please. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![blue\_infinity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blue_infinity/32/2817_2.png) [@blue\_infinity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blue_infinity)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2020, 11:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/important-if-your-user-name-has-a-space-in-it-or-a-non-alphanumeric-character-read-this/855560/62 "2020-06-13T11:32:21Z")
I don’t really care for the underscore. I’d rather lose the space. ---
**Author:** ![splatterpunk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3be4f8/32.png) [@splatterpunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/splatterpunk)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2020, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/important-if-your-user-name-has-a-space-in-it-or-a-non-alphanumeric-character-read-this/855560/63 "2020-06-13T12:39:14Z")
> [@AHunter3](#): > > Do the password requirements affect the transitioning process? In other words if our _current_ passwords don’t meet those requirements, umm, what happens to our account during the transition? Nothing happens to your account. I think the confusion here is the use of the word CHANGE. When you first log onto the new site you will need to SET a password, as if you are a new user. Maybe your current password will work or maybe not, depending on the rules of the new board. ---
**Author:** ![Art\_Rock](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/art_rock/32/525_2.png) [@Art\_Rock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Art_Rock)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2020, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/important-if-your-user-name-has-a-space-in-it-or-a-non-alphanumeric-character-read-this/855560/64 "2020-06-13T13:28:06Z")
I’d prefer ArtRock over Art\_Rock. Not a big deal though. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2020, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/important-if-your-user-name-has-a-space-in-it-or-a-non-alphanumeric-character-read-this/855560/65 "2020-06-13T13:28:21Z")
There used to be a [plugin](https://github.com/discoursehosting/discourse-migratepassword) to support migrated password hashes, but not sure whether that would override any other password length/content restrictions that are enabled. ---
**Author:** ![not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/not_what_you_d_expect/32/3246_2.png) [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/not_what_you_d_expect)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2020, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/important-if-your-user-name-has-a-space-in-it-or-a-non-alphanumeric-character-read-this/855560/66 "2020-06-13T13:43:38Z")
So, I guess I need to change mine? Sorry, I’m not clear on the rules. ---
**Author:** ![Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2020, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/important-if-your-user-name-has-a-space-in-it-or-a-non-alphanumeric-character-read-this/855560/67 "2020-06-13T13:45:18Z")
> [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#): > > Yours comes across as The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper That’s more than 20 characters ETA: or do the added underscores not count? ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2020, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/important-if-your-user-name-has-a-space-in-it-or-a-non-alphanumeric-character-read-this/855560/68 "2020-06-13T13:46:16Z")
I’m perfectly fine with an underscore. ---
**Author:** ![Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2020, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/important-if-your-user-name-has-a-space-in-it-or-a-non-alphanumeric-character-read-this/855560/69 "2020-06-13T14:04:21Z")
Also, if I had my druthers, I’d prefer to take out the space completely while maintaining the 2nd capital J. I’ve hated the underscore since the early days of e-mail and the internet. ---
**Author:** ![JcWoman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jcwoman/32/2889_2.png) [@JcWoman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JcWoman)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2020, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/important-if-your-user-name-has-a-space-in-it-or-a-non-alphanumeric-character-read-this/855560/70 "2020-06-13T14:12:30Z")
> [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#): > > I have also been told that the minimum password length is 8 characters and must have at lease 2 unique characters(#$%& etc) > [@DPRK](#): > > The minimum and maximum username length, password length, unique character requirements, and stuff like that are all parameters an administrator can edit in the Discourse site settings. In this case, can you soften those password rules to not require the special characters? I prefer to use weak passwords for internet forums and such because I couldn’t care less if those accounts get hacked. I use strong passwords for things that matter. It drives me BONKERS how many trivial internet forums and such require strong passwords when they really don’t need to. I know they do that because a lot of people use the same password everywhere, but I would think (hope) that the denizons of SDMB are smarter than that. (And really, if they aren’t by this point in time, they kind of deserve what they eventually get.) ---
**Author:** ![filmore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7993a0/32.png) [@filmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmore)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2020, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/important-if-your-user-name-has-a-space-in-it-or-a-non-alphanumeric-character-read-this/855560/71 "2020-06-13T14:25:05Z")
Will this username transformation affect the value that people have to type in the “User Name” field on Discourse? So if their user name is “Sam’s Boat” here, will they have to know to log in with “Sam\_s\_Boat” on Discourse? If so, I would guess that many people will not realize that and will try to log in with their old name on the new site. Does Discourse have a way to customize the failed login screen? If so, that would be a good place to put info about the username/password changes, along with ways to contact a mod if manual intervention is needed. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2020, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/important-if-your-user-name-has-a-space-in-it-or-a-non-alphanumeric-character-read-this/855560/72 "2020-06-13T14:48:56Z")
To be clear, nobody _needs_ to change their username. If your username is one that won’t work on the new board, the conversion will automatically convert it to one that will work. The only problem is that, in some cases, this might result in a username that isn’t as aesthetically pleasing as the one that you currently have. That’s a personal judgement call, so we can’t make any blanket statements about that. Another issue that might arise is people getting their usernames changed, and not knowing precisely what it changed to. But once the new board is live, this will be something that you’ll be able to check yourself: Just find some thread that you posted in, and see how it shows up there. ---
**Author:** ![not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/not_what_you_d_expect/32/3246_2.png) [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/not_what_you_d_expect)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2020, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/important-if-your-user-name-has-a-space-in-it-or-a-non-alphanumeric-character-read-this/855560/73 "2020-06-13T15:48:40Z")
So can it be changed after we go to the new board if we don’t like what the system does to our current name? I don’t want to be stuck with not\_what\_you\_d\_ ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2020, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/important-if-your-user-name-has-a-space-in-it-or-a-non-alphanumeric-character-read-this/855560/74 "2020-06-13T15:50:00Z")
Since I knew this would eventually happen, I went ahead and put an underscore in my username when I joined in 1999. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Santos\_L\_Halper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/santos_l_halper/32/1_2.png) [@Santos\_L\_Halper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Santos_L_Halper)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2020, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/important-if-your-user-name-has-a-space-in-it-or-a-non-alphanumeric-character-read-this/855560/75 "2020-06-13T16:03:40Z")
> [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#): > > If your name is close to another user name, or you know anyone whose name is close to another user name, let me know and I will check how they port across. There’s me, [Santos L Halper](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/member.php) and [Santos L. Halper](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/member.php) (not me) who posted here a few times in 2004. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2020, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/important-if-your-user-name-has-a-space-in-it-or-a-non-alphanumeric-character-read-this/855560/76 "2020-06-13T16:43:56Z")
> [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](#): > > That’s more than 20 characters > > ETA: or do the added underscores not count? Underscores count. If you try to enter a new name on the test system it has to be between 3 and 20 characters. On the other hand, for everyone who asks, I am just copying and pasting how the names ported over to the test system. So maybe they can be more than 20 if that’s the way they are now? I dunno. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2020, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/important-if-your-user-name-has-a-space-in-it-or-a-non-alphanumeric-character-read-this/855560/77 "2020-06-13T16:48:58Z")
> [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](#): > > So, I guess I need to change mine? > > Sorry, I’m not clear on the rules. Yours ports over as not\_what\_you\_d\_expect As for the rules, you don’t NEED to do anything. Once we switch over you can just log in using the new version of your user name. You just need to be aware that yours will change. If you try to log in on the new system with your existing name, it won’t work. You need to use the new version of your name. If you don’t like what it changes to, you can request a name change, either before or after the switch to the new system. We expect that many users like you, whose name gets mangled a bit in the conversion, will probably want to modify their user name. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2020, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/important-if-your-user-name-has-a-space-in-it-or-a-non-alphanumeric-character-read-this/855560/78 "2020-06-13T16:52:02Z")
> [@Santos\_L\_Halper](#): > > There’s me, [Santos L Halper](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/member.php) and [Santos L. Halper](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/member.php) (not me) who posted here a few times in 2004. You come across as Santos\_L\_Halper The other one comes across as Santos\_L.Halper We have had a couple of user names with periods in them and Discourse has kept the period. Apostrophes get converted into underscores and spaces get converted into underscores. ---
**Author:** ![Santos\_L\_Halper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/santos_l_halper/32/1_2.png) [@Santos\_L\_Halper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Santos_L_Halper)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2020, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/important-if-your-user-name-has-a-space-in-it-or-a-non-alphanumeric-character-read-this/855560/79 "2020-06-13T17:02:21Z")
> [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#): > > You come across as Santos\_L\_Halper > > The other one comes across as Santos\_L.Halper OK, cool. Thanks for checking. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2020, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/important-if-your-user-name-has-a-space-in-it-or-a-non-alphanumeric-character-read-this/855560/80 "2020-06-13T17:04:54Z")
Well, this really sucks for **iamthewalrus(:3=** and people like that. I realize there’s no point to me saying it here, but I’m going to say it anyway: this restriction on usernames is stupid. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/important-if-your-user-name-has-a-space-in-it-or-a-non-alphanumeric-character-read-this/855560.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/important-if-your-user-name-has-a-space-in-it-or-a-non-alphanumeric-character-read-this/855560.md?page=5)