# Error on sign up when invite code is missing
**URL:** https://meta.discourse.org/t/error-on-sign-up-when-invite-code-is-missing/314413
**Category:** UX
**Tags:** invites
**Created:** [July 1, 2024, 6:58am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/error-on-sign-up-when-invite-code-is-missing/314413 "2024-07-01T06:58:43Z")
**Posts on this page:** 5
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Moin](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Moin)
#### Post date: [July 1, 2024, 6:58am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/error-on-sign-up-when-invite-code-is-missing/314413/1 "2024-07-01T06:58:43Z")
It took me quite a while to sign up a new test user on my forum yesterday because I forgot to enter the invite code.
The error message that was shown wasn’t very helpful:
> Something went wrong, perhaps this email is already registered, try the forgot password link
No matter which email I tried, the error was the same.
Would it be possible to display an error for the invite code field like when a required custom field is empty?
 
Maybe it would also be helpful to add an asterisk after “invite code,” since it is required too.
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### Author:  [@Moin](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Moin)
#### Post date: [January 6, 2025, 9:11pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/error-on-sign-up-when-invite-code-is-missing/314413/3 "2025-01-06T21:11:42Z")
I tested this again as there have been a lot of changes to the sign-up dialog in the past months. The error message shown when the invite code is missing is still the same.
I think an error message, “Please enter invite code,” below the invite code field, similar to the ones shown below the email, username, password, and custom user fields, would be helpful.
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### Author:  [@lindsey](https://meta.discourse.org/u/lindsey)
#### Post date: [January 7, 2025, 11:34am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/error-on-sign-up-when-invite-code-is-missing/314413/6 "2025-01-07T11:34:14Z")
Thanks @Moin, you’re right that this error could be improved. I’ve opened a request with our team to fix this up. At this point, I don’t have an estimate for when this work might be complete based on the team’s other priorities.
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### Author:  [@RGJ](https://meta.discourse.org/u/RGJ)
#### Post date: [March 21, 2025, 5:19pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/error-on-sign-up-when-invite-code-is-missing/314413/7 "2025-03-21T17:19:27Z")
I think the only thing needed as a fix is to change the error message into “You did not enter the invite code” .
After all, when I look at the source, the only flow where this message will be shown is when the invite code is set, and not submitted. All other account registration errors return a custom error message.
When an email address is already registered, no message will be shown at all, and an email will be sent to that email address.
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### Author:  [@Moin](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Moin)
#### Post date: [February 9, 2026, 11:28am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/error-on-sign-up-when-invite-code-is-missing/314413/8 "2026-02-09T11:28:07Z")
> [@RGJ](#):
>
> When an email address is already registered, no message will be shown at all, and an email will be sent to that email address.
I don’t think that is true if the `Hide email address taken` site setting is disabled. But I think you are correct that the error that the email may already be registered is not shown in this case. I wonder why. In this case, it seems to be the correct message.
Because of [Make reason for 'error moving posts' visible in the interface - #2 by zogstrip](https://meta.discourse.org/t/make-reason-for-error-moving-posts-visible-in-the-interface/393690/2), I thought it might make sense to check the network response in this case too, and tada: `errors: ["param is missing or the value is empty or invalid: invite_code"]` the error is there too.
So maybe the error shown can be improved in a similar way. Though a validation of the field in the frontend, as all the other fields have, would be nice too.