Custom Profile Field Empty Even Though Required on Registration

[GL700Wing]

I have a couple of custom profile text fields that are required on registration but somehow a new user has registered with these fields being empty (ie, there is no entry for either of these fields in the 'smf_themes' table for this user).

There is no input mask for these text fields and I know the user hasn't edited them since they registered because they have not yet activated their account and logged in.

I know it is not possible to only enter spaces in these fields because the value cannot be empty after it has been trimmed (an error message is displayed indicating that the field cannot be left blank) so I'm just wondering how this can happen.

[shadav]

are you using the tapatalk mod?

[GL700Wing]

are you using the tapatalk mod?

No.

[Sir Osis of Liver]

It's possible to duplicate a display name by adding one of the more obscure unicode characters (I once made myself Kindred).  The character isn't displayed and the name looks normal.  Don't remember exactly how and can't do it now, but if such a character were entered in the required text field it might not be trimmed but you wouldn't see it.  Don't know if it would be visible in db field.  Can't imagine why anyone would bother doing that.

[GL700Wing]

This is an ongoing but very intermittent issue on an SMF 2.0.17 forum ...

I have four custom profile fields that are required on registration - three are text fields and one is a radio button - and none of the fields have a default value.

Over the last nine months 150 new members have joined the forum and of those new members six are missing entries in the themes table for the four required custom profile fields (the most recent new member for whom this information is missing joined today).

When a new member for whom this information is missing joins the forum there are no errors in the forum log or the system log ...

I have a test forum that is identical to the production forum and and I have tested/checked the registration process multiple times using different web browsers and each and every time the registration process will not complete if any of the required text fields is empty or if an option is not selected for the radio button.

I'm now beginning to wonder if the new member actually enters the required information when they register but for some reason the themes table doesn't get updated.

When the member who joined today activates their account I'm going to contact them and ask them if they actually entered the required information when they registered ...

[Kindred]

1- are you using tapatalk?
2- might they have deleted the content of those fields AFTER registration?

[GL700Wing]

1- are you using tapatalk?

No

2- might they have deleted the content of those fields AFTER registration?

No - new member accounts have to be approved and activated and in each of the cases I've seen I've noticed the information was missing  when I've looked at their accounts before they are approved (the required information shows on the member summary page). 

Also, because these four fields are required they cannot be left blank even if they are edited after registration and, in addition, one of these fields cannot be edited by the member after registration.

[Sir Osis of Liver]

Am able to replicate this by copying unicode hex code into required reg field.

https://www.compart.com/en/unicode/U+2000

Others will also work.  Registration is successful, creates blank field in profile.  Can't imagine why anyone would do this.

[GL700Wing]

Am able to replicate this by copying unicode hex code into required reg field.

https://www.compart.com/en/unicode/U+2000

Others will also work.  Registration is successful, creates blank field in profile.  Can't imagine why anyone would do this.

OK - but in that instance you would still expect to see the titles of the required text fields displayed without any content (not sure you can fake a radio button option!) and corresponding entries in the themes table - for these members there is nothing ...

[Sir Osis of Liver]

All fields display normally, they're just blank.  I have an entry in themes table, it's also blank.  The character is there, just can't see it because it's basically a space.  What you're describing sounds like they're somehow circumventing the required field.

[GL700Wing]

All fields display normally, they're just blank.  I have an entry in themes table, it's also blank.  The character is there, just can't see it because it's basically a space.  What you're describing sounds like they're somehow circumventing the required field.

Except that there is no entry in the themes table for any of the required fields (including the radio button - how would you create a blank entry for a radio button?) for any of the affected member accounts (and this includes a member who registered a few days ago but has not yet activated their account or logged in).

[Sir Osis of Liver]

Sounds like a mod has broken something.  New members may be completing required fields, but they're not being written to database,

[GL700Wing]

Sounds like a mod has broken something.  New members may be completing required fields, but they're not being written to database,

Agreed and I'll have to investigate further - just wish I could reproduce the conditions under which it occurs ...

Interesting thing is that this has only happened for six out of the 150 new member registrations over the last nine months ...