Error message: "Invalid field: A user account already exists..."

ernienet

I saw another ticket on this (https://www.joomlart.com/forums/d/24425-registrations-fail-error-about-invalid-field-user-account-exists-with-email), but it was closed because it could not be replicated by support.

I'm getting this error as well - DT Register 4.2.4.

I upgraded the site because the client was having trouble getting Simple Group Registration to display correctly. I'm not sure of the chain of events, but it was originally set up as Detailed Group Registration, but was showing this:

It seems that upgrading to DT Register 4.2.4 fixed that error, but now I'm getting the subject error when registering for an event without being logged in:

I have the setting for the event - "Joomla User Auto-Creation" set to "No". Yet the above error appears. I changed the setting to "Yes (optional)" and tried again - but it returns the same error - REQUIRING me to log in!

This function is broken - it breaks sites, just as the other person reported.

You have the credentials for this website - log in and check the email address I used to create your account and try registering for the golf event using that email address. You will see the error for yourself.

Also, a reminder: there has been an issue for quite some time that prohibits group registrations from using the same email address for each member of the group. As it is often an administrative assistant who registers groups for events for their bosses, they prefer to be the email addressee for all confirmations and communications. When they get this error, they sometimes enter fake email addresses to get past it - this creates problems for our Mailchimp integration and other export uses of the data.

Thank you,
Ernie

gslitt91

ernienet . Just tried both event registration for group and Individual . Did not find any issue .

swampscrapper

ernienet as is mentioned above, many GROUP leaders do not have email information for all of their members they are adding. The group registration process should have an option for MINIMAL DETAILS. We just want to add the total number in group, and each members name and company. I tried updating settings to override duplicate prevention option and still cannot add members to a group registration without a unique email address for each member.

ernienet

How is that possible? I JUST tried it with the email address for the account I created for you and got the same error.

Did you spell it wrong?

Nobody who has an account can register without first logging in - and most of them do not know or remember their user name or password because there's never a reason to.

Please try this again and spell the email address correctly.

Thank you,
Ernie

gslitt91

ernienet . To all duplicate member . Event management settings . http://prntscr.com/ovxdrr . Need to over ride the global config . After changing it to yes , it working fine .

ernienet

Where is the global setting? I could not find it in the Configuration.

So the field at the Event Level is not for the event settings itself, it's for overriding the Configuration settings.

I had searched for the Configuration setting, but could not find it, so I assumed it was set at the Event level.

If you can tell me where this setting is, I'll know going forward and can change it on other sites when I update them.

Thank you,
Ernie

ernienet

By the way, the error message is still appearing when I try to register using my email address. So I don't see where this is resolved. I'm getting the same error that I was yesterday.

Are there two fields involved here? Are there global settings for each in the configuration? I'm simply not "getting" this - it's exponentially more complicated than it needs to be.

Thank you,
Ernie

Alaskan

I had/have same issue running 4.2.4. Ticket got no where and forum post was closed and some info/posts on it deleted. Said couldn't replicate. I had to revert back to 4.2.3 just to have registrations come through. Obviously it is a bigger issue than just our installation. I hope they fix it but after all the recent issues I am looking for another registration solution. :-(

gslitt91

Both events are closed . Which event you tested with ? . LogIn or registered as guest .

ernienet

gslitt91 I assume you're speaking to me. Yes, both events are closed now - the event was today.

I'm not going to update another site and cause them the same problems that messed up this client's event.

If my clients are experiencing this, and I'm easily able to replicate it virtually every time I test it, then either the settings are so confusing that I can't figure out where the "global" setting is that the "event" level option is changing, or this is legitimately a bug.

So I think we can step back a few paces and first identify EVERY LOCATION of any setting affecting the new feature.

If you'd like to continue testing - since it's the weekend - the client had created a test event: "GOLF OUTING PAYMENT (Aug 21, 2019)" which you might want to test with. He was testing a different issue that was causing problems with group registrations in DT Register 4.2.3 - which seems to have been resolved with the installation of 4.2.4, but I suspect the same issue will appear if you test that event. Feel free to make changes as needed to be able to test.

One last point that might relate to this issue: The client created their events by copying the prior year golf events. These events were not created from scratch. Is there a possibility that might have carried forward an incompatibility?

Either way, the client likely will not have many visitors over the weekend, and likely not overnight (they are in USA Central Time), so you should be able to test that test event they created without interfering with their website.

Thank you,
Ernie

saguaros

Hi Ernie,

The global configuration for this Duplicate Register Prevention that Lucky meant here is in Backend > Components > DT Register component > Configuration > General tab: https://prnt.sc/oxxusb This config will be applied for all events on your site.

However, if you want to override this setting for specific event, you can configure the same in General tab in settings of that event.

Regards

ernienet

saguaros So the settings should be as follows:

Configuration - General tab - "Duplicate Registration Prevention" = No
Event - General tab - "Duplication Prevention Override" = No

I believe that's how I had everything set up.

I will wait until this client has a new event and then I'll test it with that before causing any trouble for other clients.

swampscrapper The issue you describe has been the case for quite a while. I don't remember when it started, but my clients often have an administrative assistant register all the people in their departments - sometimes a dozen people - in a group registration and was routinely entering the assistant's email for all the registrants because they didn't want to add all their individual email addresses, or wanted the confirmation email to go to the assistant and not the registrants. That apparently no longer works.

I haven't received any complaints other than one or two mentions that it was an inconvenience, but I saw it right away because I test events I create for clients and had the habit of using my own email address for each member of a group registration. I can no longer do that.

Thank you,
Ernie

gslitt91

ernienet Please try it now . modifided the file components\com_dtregister\controllers\validate.php

swampscrapper

yes, Ernie similar for me but I believe now that I've updated Config - General tab as directed that has fixed it and a group leader can re-use his/her email for a group. I thought originally that the event override setting would do it alone but did not.

saguaros

Hi,

I've shared the feature for using 1 email for Group registration to the team, let's wait for further consideration on this.

ernienet

gslitt91 Which issue does this resolve? The ability to use the same email address for each member in a Detailed Group Registration, or the "Invalid field: A user account already exists..." error message?

Thank you,
Ernie

gslitt91

ernienet . issue that causes Email address already exists .

gslitt91

ernienet this site https://www.centralindianapcc.com/

ernienet

gslitt91 I upgraded another website to 4.2.4 and installed the components\com_dtregister\controllers\validate.php file that you had installed on the other site.

No luck. A person who had registered last year, but never activated his account, tried to register this year, but kept getting the error that a user account already exists. The customer didn't know his credentials, and I guess it wouldn't matter because he hadn't activated the account last year when he created it.

I've completely disabled the "optional" setting for user registration for this event, but it messes up this particular client because they're signing up as vendors and need to have an account to be able to log in to make payments, etc.

You've really got to streamline this whole process and the logic - too many settings in too many places creates so much confusion and upsets so many people! There should be a completely "passive" process so that if an email address exists, it does not demand a login or password reset, it does not prevent completing the registration, and simply links the event registration to the existing user account.

Thank you,
Ernie

pcseba

Although I updated DT Register to the latest version, I have the same issue. I have correct settings, but still cannot overcome this issue.

gslitt91

ernienet . 2 more file need to be replace . Attaching Zipped files with paths .

patches.zip

13kB