# Alternative sign up pathways

**URL:** <https://meta.discourse.org/t/alternative-sign-up-pathways/331808>\
**Category:** Support\
**Created:** [October 21, 2024, 12:09am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/alternative-sign-up-pathways/331808 "2024-10-21T00:09:47Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Showing post:** 37

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**Author:** ![Paul\_King](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/meta/user_avatar/meta.discourse.org/paul_king/32/165426_2.png) [@Paul\_King](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Paul_King)\
**Post date:** [November 5, 2024, 12:28am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/alternative-sign-up-pathways/331808/37 "2024-11-05T00:28:38Z")

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OK, an update

I finally got Discourse Automation to work - the trick was to use a _ **drop down** _ custom user field type (even though the instructions don’t spell this out) rather than the tick box field type I had started with. The drop down options need to correspond exactly to the _ **full** _ user group names

Very important - ensure this new field is not user-editable after sign up, otherwise a user signing up and being approved only for the public forum can later just unilaterally grant themselves themselves acess to the private forum.

 ![Defining custom user feild](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/meta/original/4X/8/e/c/8ec7490ac7b68e95243f4dc7afd4debd19102924.png)

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