Improving Blocked User State

Feature
21

I fixed this bug. Blocked users can now send a PM to the moderators group if it’s allowed. I haven’t looked into the HasErrors problems yet, so it’s still on my list.

3 Likes
25

In the mean while, maybe a temporary locked Trust Level 0 could help?

They could still Like, make (a limited number of) posts, but no Flags.

27

@neil, got another bug for you (sorry!). I just deleted a blocked user, and the Admin dashboard still counts that user in the blocked count (unless something else is going on here). Screenshots of the issue are below:

Pasted image1135×363 24.9 KB

Edit: Also of note, if I unblock my test user, the count still remains at 2, so maybe there is something more to this issue…

Edit 2: And now it is at 0…I guess there was just a delay, please disregard this post…

1 Like
28

The dashboard data is calculated once every 30 minutes, so you won’t see real-time counts. All that data is expensive to calculate. :grin:

At the bottom of the dashboard you’ll see something like this: “Dashboard last updated: April 4, 2016 10:24 AM”

4 Likes
29

I have a question about the blocked user state. If a user is blocked, will they still receive communications via email from discourse (updates from forum, messages from discourse). If no, how can I update their communication settings as an admin?

30

Yes, they will still be emailed. The only email related feature that is disabled is mailing mode.

Here is the full blocked user description:

Account flagged by spam system as a problem account, all posting is disabled.

  • Account may not reply to any topic
  • Account may not create any topics
  • Account still can like and flag (TBD if this is a good idea)
  • Account can still change user prefs and about me (TBD if this is a good idea)
  • Mailing list mode stops working

Note that this is in contrast to suspended users for whom all email (with one exception) is blocked.

Suspended user description (emphasis mine):

Account suspended from Discourse instance

  • A note is displayed on user page denoting suspension reason
  • Login is not allowed
  • Account no longer shows up in search
  • No emails are sent to user for any notifications (digest, message and so on)
  • As an exception any emails initiated by staff are still sent to user
2 Likes
31

Is this a recent change? We’re still on Discourse 1.7.0.beta4, and I can confirm that suspended accounts do show up in search (for non-mod user).

2 Likes
32

I have no idea. I was just quoting from:

1 Like
33

In that case, @sam, if this is how it’s meant to behave, we appear to have a wee problem…

34

No, that was never in Discourse to my knowledge. @sam kinda made that part up, “user doesn’t appear in search.” It could work either way, I don’t have any feelings about it at all.

1 Like
35

I plan to be in the “search” area over the next few weeks, I might look at ensuring Suspended users only appear in Search for staff. But depending on the complexity it may add, I might not pursue it.

5 Likes
36

It makes sense to me that suspended users shouldn’t appear in search, but it’s no big deal. I just think that Reality and FAQs should match. :bear:

3 Likes
37

Code says this has always been the case, unless you are staff.

38

Sam, here’s my non-staff sock account searching and locating a suspended user:


image.png839×605 24.8 KB

2 Likes
39

Ahh yeah, I think what I meant to say is that you can’t @mention a suspended user unless you are staff.

I got a bit confused between user search which is used for @mentions and global search which uses a different code path.

3 Likes
40

In that case, I’d like to request that blocked and/or suspended users be hidden from “global search” for non-staff users.

41

@codinghorror’s call then :slight_smile: I am not really fussed either way.

1 Like
42

I am not sure I agree with this request. Should /users directory also suppress them? And why? What purpose does that serve, what problem does that solve?

43

I’m not sure that it is a problem. The reasons I can think of are

  • a type of “punishment” against the problem user. eg. their profile, posts, etc. can’t be easily found
  • a type of “protection” for the problem user, eg. removing evidence of their bad behavior from public view
44

In my opinion, if a user has done something which warrants a suspension, then that should be visible to the normal users.

If I decide to suspend an account then there is already some tension in the air. If someone then asks “What happened to Bill?” in public and I answer “I suspended him” then it is a bit like a public shaming. If the information about the suspension is there to see for those who check Bill’s profile, but it isn’t blared out in public.