[OPEN-ILS-GENERAL] user passwords for accounts - default?

[Yamil Suarez]

Jennifer,

I was just looking into how our EG is set to use the student ID as
their password. When we migrated we hired ESI and they gave me some
Postgres stored procedures that I use to batch load patrons. As part
of this process I use to load the students I create a temporary table
with some required fields, and I load the new student data into that
table. That temporary table has some very obvious fields, like first
name, last name, and password. When I configure how to load a CSV file
of students into that temporary table, I make sure to load the student
number into both the password field and a field called "ident_value."
The ident_value field is displayed as the patron's "ID" or "primary
identification" in the EG client.

I take a couple other steps, but I hope this starts to explain how we
do it. In your case, if you are batch loading students just load the
barcode value into both the barcode field and the password field.
Though, the password field and the barcode fields live in two separate
tables in the EG DB, I am sure it can be done with some research and
practice.

I suspect other academic libraries use their own homegrown process for
batch loading their patrons that do not use the ESI stored procedures.
I would like to store different approaches on the wiki for reference.

Good luck,
Yamil



On Wed, Feb 4, 2015 at 5:03 PM, Rogan Hamby <rogan.hamby at yclibrary.net> wrote:
>
> I don't know of a trivial way to do so.  If you have someone willing to dig
> into the code I suspect that's probably set in the staff client though there
> might be something else that writes something in in the case of a null (it
> can't be null in the database).  I haven't looked, so this is just me
> thinking about it.  I suspect that this is doable but not without someone
> comfortable with it digging into a bit of Evergreen's guts and spending some
> time on it.
>
>
>
> On Wed, Feb 4, 2015 at 4:00 PM, Walz, Jennifer <jlwalz at asbury.edu> wrote:
>>
>> Kathy,
>>
>>
>>
>> That is what I believe is happening now when you register a new user.
>> But that is a random number.   But the instructions on the web page say use
>> your phone number.  That is incorrect.   And what I really want to know, is
>> instead of generating a random number for each newly registered user, is
>> there a way to auto populate the field with the SAME standard generic
>> password.   That way, when we personally register a new student, we can tell
>> them “this is your generic password” so they can then go on the system to
>> change it themselves.    We would of course NOT post those instructions on
>> the web site or opac.     We also hope to be auto-loading our student
>> records sometime soon.  So in that process, can we fill in the SAME starter
>> password for each new user record when the system uploads all of their other
>> data?    Does the system automatically generate a random password whenever a
>> new record is created?     Can we have it copy their barcode over to that
>> field?
>>
>>
>>
>> Thanks!
>>
>>
>>
>> Jennifer
>>
>> --------------------------------------------------
>> Jennifer Walz, MLS – ILS Mysterium
>> Kinlaw Library -  Asbury University
>> One Macklem Drive, Wilmore, KY 40390
>> 859-858-3511 ext. 2269
>> jlwalz at asbury.edu
>>
>>
>>
>> From: Open-ils-general
>> [mailto:open-ils-general-bounces at list.georgialibraries.org] On Behalf Of
>> Kathy Lussier
>> Sent: Tuesday, February 03, 2015 5:14 PM
>> To: open-ils-general at list.georgialibraries.org
>> Subject: Re: [OPEN-ILS-GENERAL] user passwords for accounts - default?
>>
>>
>>
>> Hi Jennifer,
>>
>> Another possible approach is to use a randomly-generated password when
>> creating the account and then instructing users to use the "Create or reset
>> your password" link on the "My Account" page to reset their password on the
>> first login. The advantage to this method is users can then create their own
>> passwords, which is a bit more secure than using a phone number or another
>> number that might be easily obtained.
>>
>> Kathy
>>
>> On 02/03/2015 11:17 AM, Walz, Jennifer wrote:
>>
>> All –
>>
>>
>>
>>    Ok.  I do appreciate that Evergreen has built in security measures.
>> They are very good.   However, I am unclear about how we can change some of
>> those settings to better match our needs.
>>
>>
>>
>>    It appears to me that the default for user accounts passwords is the
>> last 4 digits of the patron phone number.   But we don’t enter a phone
>> number most of the time.  We use email as the required field instead.
>> Phone number is not required on the patron registration form.   So, then how
>> do patrons know what their password is in order to access their account
>> through the opac interface?       Is there a way that we can set a default
>> generic password to be populated into the patron registration form?   We had
>> that on our previous system and we could then tell all students to use that
>> and then change their password after they got into their account.    How do
>> we make this work in Evergreen?    How do students get into their account if
>> they don’t know what the password is?
>>
>>
>>
>> Secondary issue:   And I am assuming that somewhere in the templates we
>> can change the language of the prompt for the opac webpage?      Right now
>> it tells patrons to use the last 4 digits of their phone number – which is
>> wrong information.    Can someone tell me where that text is so I can change
>> it?
>>
>>
>>
>> Thanks!
>>
>>
>>
>> Jennifer
>>
>> --------------------------------------------------
>> Jennifer Walz, MLS - Head of ILS madness
>> Kinlaw Library -  Asbury University
>> One Macklem Drive, Wilmore, KY 40390
>> 859-858-3511 ext. 2269
>> jlwalz at asbury.edu
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> --
>>
>> Kathy Lussier
>>
>> Project Coordinator
>>
>> Massachusetts Library Network Cooperative
>>
>> (508) 343-0128
>>
>> klussier at masslnc.org
>>
>> Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/kmlussier
>
>
>
>
> --
>
> Rogan Hamby, MLS, CCNP, MIA
> Managers Headquarters Library and Reference Services,
> York County Library System
>
> “You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit
> me.”
> ― C.S. Lewis



-- 



--------------------------------

Yamil Suarez, MCS
Library System Administrator/Developer

Stan Getz Library
Berklee College of Music
1140 Boylston St
Boston, MA 02215

ysuarez at berklee.edu
617-747-2617