CAA Product Help

(HELP ?) Circles provide narratives on Training, Explanations, and Hints. These can be related to the overall screen, or to specific items on the screen.

You found the (HELP ?) Circle narrative for "Using the Username and Password" by clicking the (COMPREHENSIVE HELP ?) Circle on the "ADD PROFILE" Screen or the "VIEW OR UPDATE PROFILE" Screen in MemberLink or any of the other screens related to "Profiles" that have this (COMPREHENSIVE HELP ?) Circle.

Before proceeding, please be sure you have previously clicked the (HELP ?) Circle that leads to the narrative on "Overview and Basics: Using the Profile Screen". Being familiar with the general information about the "PROFILE" Screens may be helpful to you.

No matter which of the "PROFILE" Screens involved, the sections below have a lot of great information about Usernames and Passwords in MemberLink.

If you are on the "ADD PROFILE" Screen, the second section below describes how to use the Username and Password entry boxes.

If you are on the "VIEW OR UPDATE PROFILE" Screen, the third section below describes how to use the "TOGGLE SHOW/HIDE USERNAME" Hyperlink.

Section 1: Info about Usernames and Passwords

Username and Password are used to help the system have a unique identifier for each person (each database record). Also, people cannot login without a Username and Password.

** Note: As of January, 2019 Passwords are no longer displayed anywhere in the system. Users have a "Password Reset" capability on the Member Portal module "LOGIN" Screen if they forget their Password. Administrators cannot view Passwords to help out forgetful members.

Do I have to let people login?

No! If you do not want this person to be able to login, you do not have to provide them with a Username and Password even though the system does have a Username and Password assigned to everyone. Without knowing their specific credentials (Username and Password), the person cannot login.

Another alternative that blocks a person from logging in is to toggle their Status on the "CONTACTS" Screen and Display Panel from "Verified" to "Pending" or "Banned". People with a Pending status or Banned status cannot login. Click the (HELP ?) Circle on the "CONTACTS" Screen for an explanation of the Pending and Banned status meanings and implications.

Section 2: Creating Usernames and Passwords

What are the options for creating a Username and Password when entering a new person?

You can enter a Username and Password in the entry boxes provided on the "ADD PROFILE" Screen, or leave them blank.

When the system creates the contact record for the new person you are adding, if the Username and Password entry boxes are blank, the system will create them for you. The system uses a complicated, unhackable jumble of characters and numbers for the Password. If you want the Username and Password to be easier for the new person to use, you may want to enter something yourself.

** Note: The first time a new person logs into the Member Portal, they will be prompted to change their Username and Password. They can create a Username and Password to their liking - they just have to use the one you gave them or the system-generated one the first time.

** Tip: When CAA imports your starting contact records for you as part of our conversion assistance, we set the Username to FirstnameLastname and the Password to FirstnameLastname. For example, Username = JimSmith and Password = JimSmith. This makes it easy for you to communicate to your members what they should use for this first login to the Member Portal. You can email everyone and tell each person to use their FirstnameLastname for both Username and Password to get started. Explain to them they sould capitalize the first letter of their first name and the first letter of their last name, but put the two names together - there is no space between them.

What are the Guidelines for Usernames?

If you choose to enter a Username yourself, follow these guidelines.

- Username can contain the letters A through Z and the numbers 0 through 9. It can also contain a period "." an "@" and an underscore "_" character. Valid examples of Usernames are JimSmith, Jim_Smith, or Smith@gmail.com - all three are acceptable.

- Username cannot contain an imbedded space or any of the following special characters: ! # $ % ^ & * ( ) + - = ~ ' { } [ ] : " ; ' < > | / , ?

- Username must begin with a character, not a number.

- Username is not case-sensitive. Smith@gmail.com can be entered as smith@gmail.com or SMITH@GMAIL.com, etc.

- Username must be unique within your MemberLink database. Only one person can have a specific Username - duplicates will not be permitted. You cannot have two people with JimSmith for a Username, you must differentiate them so that each person has a unique Username.

** Tip: If you choose to enter the Username yourself, see the Tip above for a format suggestion. One alternative, however, is to use the person's email address as their Username. For example: Smith@YourChurch.org. Each person has a unique email address, so their email address will also be unique when used as their Username. Also, since each person remembers their email address, they can easily remember their Username when the two match. One problem with this approach is that not every member in your church may have their own email address. If a husband and wife share an email address, they cannot both have it as their Username.

Section 3: Updating Usernames and Passwords

You can change a Username in the entry box provided on the "VIEW OR UPDATE PROFILE" Screen.

First, there is a "TOGGLE SHOW/HIDE USERNAME" Hyperlink. You can use this hyperlink to "Hide" the Username. (Passwords are already hidden and are always hidden.) The Username will not be displayed on the "VIEW OR UPDATE PROFILE" Screen when the "Hide" option is active.

Second, if you decide to "Show" the Username, then that entry box will appear on the "VIEW OR UPDATE PROFILE" Screen. But you still have a choice: You can use it or leave it blank. If you blank it out and leave it blank, the system will manage it for you.

Third, you cannot create or change a Password from this screen. Passwords are not visible and cannot be "changed". When a person wants to change their own Password, they have two options:

- They can use the "Reset Password" function on the Member Portal module "LOGIN" Screen. This will give them a Temporary Password and enables them to create a new Password.

- They can login to the Member Portal module with their current Password and go to their "PROFILE" Screen. From there, the person can change their own Password by using the "CHANGE YOUR PASSWORD" Hyperlink.

Important:
Your MemberLink support team recommends that all people change their Password regularly and always keep it confidential!

Passwords are "changed" by "resetting" them. Go to the Member Portal module "LOGIN" Screen and click the "CLICK HERE" Hyperlink under the "Forgot your password?" label. Follow those instructions. The system will issue the user a Temporary Password and then the user will be able to create a new Password during their next login attempt with the Temporary Password.

** Note: The first time a person logs into the Member Portal, they will be forced to change their Username and Password. They will enter whatever Username and Password were assigned by the Import process or by your church's MemberLink Administrator, but then the system will prompt them to change to something of their own choosing. After this change, even the MemberLink system administrators will not know the Password.

"CAA Product Help" from CAA Ministries at Support@CAAsoftware.com or 404-551-4230