Talk:Upload users
Upload user authentication method gotcha
Not sure how to word this or where to highlight it, but there should be a banner warning admins that if they upload a CSV in the upload users area without an authentication column (auth) populated with the correct auth method for the users they want to update, Moodle will change the updated users to having the manual authentication type tagged to their profiles. In other words, missing column = default to manual authentication interpretation by Moodle.
This then means that any integrations using that auth method to update users will not work until the auth method is put back to the correct method. (We see this most often with LDAP auth users.)
Upshot: always include the auth column if this user uploads area is not your main way of creating/updating users on the site. --Lesli Smith 1/12/2016
Reply to Lesli
Thanks for this useful information - I added it on the page but it would be great it you could go and check it and improve if necessary.--Mary Cooch (talk) 19:11, 13 January 2016 (AWST)
Reply to Mary
I just got caught out by this too, while assigning existing users to a cohort. I didn't see where you had added the warning.
I'd recommend adding a new section between 'Password field' and 'Optional fields', just after 'Required fields', at the start of the page.
Something along the lines of:
- Auth field:
If updating an existing user make sure that you specify the authentication method required.
- For example, when assigning membership to a cohort , use the following syntax:
This retains ldap authentication:
username,firstname,lastname,email,cohort1,auth x1234567,Sam,Smith,sam.smith@abc.ac.uk,mbbs-2018,ldap
But this reverts the user's authentication method to 'manual':
username,firstname,lastname,email,cohort1 x1234567,Sam,Smith,sam.smith@abc.ac.uk,mbbs-2018
