Application process appears to have glitched

I've had a few people complain recently that they've found it difficult to apply to join our guild.  I put that down to some people just getting confused .. but I've got one guy who we've taken step by step through, and he's still struggling, so I decided to start afresh as a new member would see it.  There appears to be a problem ...

When someone previously clicked to apply to the guild, they would be asked to register for the site first, and then once they'd done that, they'd be taken to the application form.

What appears to be happening now is they fill in the registration details for GL .. but then they're taken back to the exact same screen again.  So it looks like they've not registered.  They only indicator that it worked, is if they happen to notice their chosen name in the top right of the screen now. 

After that, they then have to go back to find the button to click, to apply to the guild, again.  This needs rectifying.  Members are seeing less and less need to use the website at all - so if we end up having to use a different way to deal with applications (such as a google form), people are not going to be automatically registered for our website, and they just won't use it.

Potentially it might just be that it's my browser(s) that are the problem, I don't know.  I tested in Edge.

That's an interesting one!

I've dug in and figured out why, of course the fix is going to be more difficult. The redirect flow that you want and should be getting is properly working on regular sites without a Custom URL. Because you have a Custom URL, it is disjointing the flow of redirects. So you are correct, it should be working the way you describe, but is not due too your URL. We definitely are going to get this fixed, I'm not certain of a time frame on that yet though. I will let you know!

A work around for you in the time being is to use your default guildlaunch URL, http://darkwolves.guildlaunch.com/. This will redirect properly. Another is to clarify for your users that creating your Guild Launch account is one step, applying to your guild website is another.

Account Creation URL: http://www.darkwolves.eu/recruiting/signup.php?destination=&gid=180473

Guild Application URL: http://www.darkwolves.eu/recruiting/app_application.php?type=app&gid=180473

I'm really sorry for the confusion. Hopefully we can get it cleaned up soon.

When you say to use our default guildlaunch url .. use it where?  Do you mean simply stop using our own domain name at all (which gets complicated very quickly as there are links within our website that use our domain url), or changing it in one specific place?

I think the two step thing may be easier, if the domain name solution is as above.  Having said that .. that could well just be a step too far for some applicants.  We've already had people in the past complain about having to go to a website to fill in an application, that it's too complicated .. having to add an extra step into the process will just stop some people applying completely.

Once I know the answer to the above, and the length of time it's going to take to fix, then I'll know how to deal with it for our help guides on applying to us.

Thank you :-)

I mean use your default URL when asking new users to sign up to your site. I do not mean to edit anything or change anything on your site. Just the account creation/site application step. That's just a temporary possible work around and completely understand why you would not like to use that, do not worry about it.

In the end, there is no way around account creation. Unless someone creates an account, there's no way for them to interact with the site. They have to create an account with an email so that they can log in. Once they have an account, they can apply to your site. Filling out the application is the most time consuming part of the steps. You can simplify that step to nearly instant if you think it is a major barrier.

The two URL's I linked is just to be very clear about which is which and what they do. They have to create an account. They have to apply. It only feels like "two steps" because account creation is not automatically redirecting to your application page. If they start on darkwolves.guildlaunch.com and click apply, it will link them to account creation, once they click create there it will automatically redirect them to your application with them logged into their new account. That is the proper flow that is currently broken due to internal things I won't bore with you on your custom URL. The only difference caused by the redirect bug is that the new user needs to create the account, then go to the application page.

As soon as I know when the redirect bug will be fixed, I will let you know. I hope my ramblings has cleared this up a bit more. Sorry for the confusion :(

I did some more digging.

You have your recruiting status set to Private. If you read the description of that setting, it makes all of this make sense.

By having your recruiting status set to Private, it is purposefully hiding the application link so that you HAVE to provide the link to the user manually. This is for specific instances of guilds wanting to be overly secure and private.

If you were to set this to Open, the application links you are already using will begin automatically redirecting.

So go to Admin Menu->Recruiting->Misc. Settings and under the first option, Recruiting Status, set it to Open. Read the description there for clarification of the specifics. Let me know if this works for you!

We're still going to reevaluate this whole flow to figure out how to remove this confusion. This is the complexity by product of extreme levels of customization.

Sorry for being a pain .. just trying to get this right in my head (because testing it requires me to think of a new trial account name each time!) ..

I understand the two step process.  That makes total sense.

What I have is various places dotted around the site (a couple of different widgets, a menu button that takes them to a wiki page, more links in wiki pages)

.. if I made all of those links that point to

 http://www.darkwolves.eu/recruiting/signup.php?destination=&gid=180473

instead point to

http://darkwolves.guildlaunch.com/recruiting/signup.php?destination=&gid=180473

then that would fix the problem and it would once again flow correctly straight from registration to application?*

I can do that no problem.

As far as the privacy thing is concerned .. that was selected deliberately, because I feel that members applications SHOULD be private.  We've been on the go long enough that we have a lot of old applications there (which we tend to keep because it does occasionally help with admin/potential returnees) but don't want (and some applicants/members have expressed the same opinion) anyone from outside of the guild (other than the applicant of course) being able to read what they put.

I suppose if it's causing a problem, I could instead select the option where an applicant can just CHOOSE to go private, but then that's just an added option for them.

*edit .. just noticed when I was checking that second link .. one of my current links already *almost* links to the guildlaunch version, only it's saying https ... is that okay?

Talking about streamlining a little .. I've actually got a guide on our website for people on how to apply, obviously prior to you having changed some of the process .. that did seem a bit easier to follow, not least because the initial registration/login bit was shorter (ie, looked less complicated!):

http://www.darkwolves.eu/gwiki/index.php?page_name=Apply&gid=180473

When someone previously clicked to apply to the guild, they would be asked to register for the site first, and then once they'd done that, they'd be taken to the application form.

 Yesh

The Admin Menu->Recruiting->Misc. Settings->Recruiting Status setting should not affect your existing settings of private forum post applications. I would go ahead and give it a try to confirm, I'm 99% sure that turning that on too Open will not begin publicly posting applications. That setting is in Admin Menu->Recruiting->Site Application->Right Column->Forum Posting

Oh and something to help you with testing accounts, you do not need a new email each time. You can use aliasing.

For example, if your email is testing.test@gmail.com you can do testing.test+test1@gmail.com and our system will treat it as a different email address and it will just behave as your normal email address. When we implemented this, it made my testing life a million times better.

 Ahhh .. I was confusing that with the ability for applicants to post privately ;-)  I've changed that option now to see what happens.  I think the main reason I've had it to private is because I wanted it to go via a help guide to fill in the form .. but I guess if I've gotten a url anyway, I can incorporate that into a help guide.

It gives me the following url: http://www.darkwolves.eu/recruiting/create_apply.php?gid=180473

I know it kinda says on that page in the admin menu .. however .. for my site .. what exactly does that do? I mean .. switching from Private to public?  I can't see anything different on the site, so is there an extra widget I need to activate, or menu button?

 It wasn't really the email address that was causing the problem (I have a domain name that allows virtually anything before the @ :p) .. more the username .. there's a surprising number of "trial" and "test" usernames already taken :p

We are having this issue with our site and the application.  Users are getting a error message while the application is making it to us.  As a result we have 3 sometime 6 PMs for applications on one applicant. 

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