Reinstating deleted user - name already in use: Version 3.1.1

Software Support
1

Some while ago we deleted a user from OJS 3.1.1 so that he is no longer listed on the user page. I now need to reinstate him and was using the “Add user” feature. However this returns the message “Username and email address already in use”.

How can I overcome this?

2

How have you deleted the user? Did you merge the account into a dummy account or did you just strip the account of all roles related to your journal? If its the latter, then the account is still active, just without roles and you can re-add the roles.

3

No I just used “Remove” on the user list

4

Then the user account should still be there. Go to the user list, klick ‘search’, enter the username and check the checkbox “Include users with no roles in this journal.”. The account should show up. Click “edit user” and add the roles you want them to have.

5

Thanks for the quick fix - my previous search did not include users with no role. For clarity, will “Remove” delete a user with no role? Nick

6

No, it will not. It only removes the roles of the user in this specific journal. To remove an account completely:

  1. create a dummy account (a regular account you name ‘dummy’ or something)
  2. go to the user list, to the user you want to delete and click ‘merge user’
  3. from the list that pops up, choose the dummy account to merge the user into
7

Many thanks – that is fine. However its strange really, a simple delete as in previous versions would be preferable. Nick

8

You are welcome.
Please note, that it has always been this way. Even if the button was called ‘delete’ in the previous OJS versions, the user accounts have not been deleted. We had to use the ‘merge user’ workaround in OJS 2.4.8 to get rid of spam user accounts as well.

Best regards,
Heike

9

Oh OK, thanks. Nick