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.NET Forum / ASP.NET / General / December 2007Membership.FindUsersByName
Can anyone tell me why FindUsersByName() returns a collection? Isn't it necessary that user names are unique (how else would passwords be validated?) And what is the best way to determine if a user name is already in use? Preferrably, I could do this without raising an exception--I just want to know whether or not they exist. Thanks!  SignatureJonathan Wood SoftCircuits Programming http://www.softcircuits.com the function does a sql like and supports sql wildcards, so even though names are unique, the find can return multiples. this also means to avoid injection attacks, you should check for sql wildcard characters in usernames and email addresses. -- bruce (sqlwork.com) > Can anyone tell me why FindUsersByName() returns a collection? Isn't it > necessary that user names are unique (how else would passwords be [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > > Thanks! Ah! Many thanks. SignatureJonathan Wood SoftCircuits Programming http://www.softcircuits.com > the function does a sql like and supports sql wildcards, so even though > names are unique, the find can return multiples. [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] >> >> Thanks! You're looking at the wrong function. The FindUsersByName is not meant to get a user. It's meant to find a number of users that are similar to the username entered. The stored procedure behind this uses LIKE instead of =, this means you could say bob% and get all usernames that begin with bob. What you want, instead is the GetUser. Best way to see if a user exists is to just try a call to GetUser and if it returns null, then there is no user. If it returns a MembershipUser object that isn't null, then you have a user. SignatureHope this helps, Mark Fitzpatrick Microsoft MVP - Expression > Can anyone tell me why FindUsersByName() returns a collection? Isn't it > necessary that user names are unique (how else would passwords be [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > > Thanks! Mark, > You're looking at the wrong function. The FindUsersByName is not meant to > get a user. It's meant to find a number of users that are similar to the > username entered. The stored procedure behind this uses LIKE instead of =, > this means you could say bob% and get all usernames that begin with bob. I'm not trying to get a user, I'm trying to find the number of users with a specific user name or, in my case, email. > What you want, instead is the GetUser. Best way to see if a user exists is > to just try a call to GetUser and if it returns null, then there is no > user. If it returns a MembershipUser object that isn't null, then you have > a user. Here's where I get lost. Scanning the docs, I couldn't see anything about GetUser returning null. If it does, that's perfect. But instead the mentality seems to be raise an exception any time things aren't the way a particular method thinks they should be. Is there a way I'd be able to tell GetUser can return null on my own? That would be a great help. Thanks. SignatureJonathan Wood SoftCircuits Programming http://www.softcircuits.com >> Can anyone tell me why FindUsersByName() returns a collection? Isn't it >> necessary that user names are unique (how else would passwords be [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] >> >> Thanks! The documentation should always state what exceptions are thrown. Usually when doing things such as returning objects from a function, the resultant object will be null instead of throwing an exception. I use null tests on GetUser(string username) all the time. Makes it much easier during a login procedure to first check if the user even exists before bothering to validate their credentials. You could also use FindUsersByName but just test to see if your resultant memberhsipusercollection has a length greater than 0 and isn't null. If it does, then you know the user already exists. I like the GetUser though since it's only trying to match a single name the performance may be the smallest tad better. SignatureHope this helps, Mark Fitzpatrick Microsoft MVP - Expression > Mark, > [quoted text clipped - 31 lines] >>> >>> Thanks! Mark, > The documentation should always state what exceptions are thrown. Usually > when doing things such as returning objects from a function, the resultant > object will be null instead of throwing an exception. I use null tests on > GetUser(string username) all the time. Makes it much easier during a login > procedure to first check if the user even exists before bothering to > validate their credentials. I agree that it would be good if GetUser() returns null instead of throwing an error when the user does not exist. But all the docs say is GetUser throws a NotSupportedException, but doesn't say a single thing about when it might do so. I find the .NET docs irritatingly terse. > You could also use FindUsersByName but just test to see if your resultant > memberhsipusercollection has a length greater than 0 and isn't null. If it > does, then you know the user already exists. I like the GetUser though > since it's only trying to match a single name the performance may be the > smallest tad better. Unless it's returning more information. But, as long as FindUsersByName also returns null and won't throw an exception, then that would work as well. Thanks. SignatureJonathan Wood SoftCircuits Programming http://www.softcircuits.com Free MagazinesGet these publications absolutely FREE for up to 12 months. There are no hidden fees and no obligation. Simply choose a title, complete the application form and submit it. Read more ...
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