Password change and migration

Password change

To generate a new password for anyone just go to Users and edit the password part of their profile. It is suggested that you reset the password to be exactly the same as their username. After password change an automated email will be sent to them, but it will be also necessary for you to send them a small supplementary email (see 1 below) to give them the changed password. The user can change the new password themselves, if they wish, after they have logged in. There is no restriction on length or complexity of password you can give, it can be anything from a single character upwards and a tickbox is available to allow “weak” passwords through.

Supplementary email (1): “Your password has been reset. We have provisionally made it exactly the same as your username which you will see at the head of your recent automated notification. Please login using these details: your username (or your email address); and your provisional password. If you want to change the password to something more secure then please use the facilities in Dashboard.”

Account migration

To migrate material and settings from one user account to another the following procedure is suggested. First go to Users and find the source account (old username) and then delete the account. An option will appear offering deletion or migration (NB pick migration and carefully select the target account). Then after migration open up the target account and edit the fields – all fields will now be accessible and available including the username field (due to the deletion of the old account). Automated email(s) will be sent to the user after update. You may wish to send out a small supplementary email (see 2 below) detailing, in particular, the account username, friendly name, and email address. Note that a reset of the password field is not necessary in this case and should never be done unless specifically requested by the user.

Supplementary email (2): “You will have received several automated emails detailing the changes we have made to your accounts. Your old account has now been closed down and its material transferred to your new account.  Also the details of your new account have been modified so that it now looks like your old account, except for the email change. Please log in to your modified account using your new email address and password.  If you want to change the password again to something more secure please use the facilities in Dashboard.”