Email address already exists

[GraemeRo]

Hi all, I've got a user who I can't seem to set up with a correct email address because her email address is already in the system... but alas, I can't see her in our user/ people lists. Any advise? I've had a quick search through historic posts and didn't spot someone, but if I missed something, my apologies. Thanks!

[EricLu2]

Hi: You can produce a report of all users and email addresses. Do you have Admin permissions to see all the users? Just to be sure - you are trying to put an email address in a user record, but WorkFront reports that email address is already in use. Is that correct? Thanks, Eric

[GraemeRo]

Yup, correct. I'm editing an existing user. So... they currently have name2.surname@example.com on their account instead of name.surname@example.com. When I try and change the address, WF tells me their address is already in the system... but I've checked EVERY user in our account and it doesn't exist. I do have admin access. Thanks!

[EricLu2]

Hi: I would be tempted to ask WorkFront tech support to have a look. If your exhaustive search came up with nil, well, maybe there is a problem. I’d see what they think. Thanks! Eric

[Doug_Den_Hoed__AtAppStore]

Hi Graeme, Since email addresses must be unique across all Workfront domains, and you cannot find it within your domain but get an "already in use"' error when you try to update an existing user's email to that exact email address, it is possible that the enail is in use in a different Workfront domain. In order, I suggest you: try a "forgot password" using the desired email; if the account is active and it does come through to its owner, have them log in to wherever it takes them (ehm...which, technically, would be a type of security breach into the "other" domain...hmm...let's table that discussion until such a breach is confirmed), and then edit their email in the other domain to Something Else, thereby freeing up the desired email for use in your domain If that doesn't work, exploit the fact that emails are case sensitive and capitalize some or all of the email (in consultation with the real user: spelling counts) so they can get in and you can move on contact support, as Eric suggested; in any case, I suspect they'd appreciate studying this one carefully Regards, Doug

[EricLu2]

Wow. I didn’t know email addresses had to be unique within the universe of WorkFront. I thought I had my own little universe and no one else’s universe intersected. Great information, thanks, Doug! Eric

[GraemeRo]

AWESOME! Changing it to all lowercase and dumping the irritating 2 has worked!!! I'll let WF Tech know about this though. Thank you!

[EricLu2]

Wait - email addresses are case sensitive? Eric

[GraemeRo]

Seems to be. Weird.....

[EricLu2]

Oh my, I hope not. In the end, you got it to work. I wonder if the case sensitivity is not functional, and when you try to log in with the email address, whether the case sensitivity is enforced in the login. The case is important in the database, I wonder if it is important at login. Fascinating stuff Eric

[AdinaPi1]

We have had this same problem for a few years and have a long standing support case open for it. It happens when the user has an account on another Workfront instance on the same cluster. Like you did, we just change the case of the 1st letter of the email address and that allows us to add the new user. Adina

[GregBe1]

Well that is weird. I never knew the email address was case sensitive (and, I don't think it should be). But I was able to create 2 Users with the same email, but different case, and it worked. It's a little strange though. I haven't fully tested this, but it seems if you have 2 email addresses the same with cases different, then case matters when you enter your email, but if you only have one email address in the system, the case doesn't matter when you enter your credentials. Also, when I tried "forgot password", I received 2 emails to reset the password (each addressed to the names I entered for User.)