Batch management of users waiting approval

[The Sandman]

I've beem waiting until upgrading to XF 1.2 so I could batch manage (ban) the almost 3000 members (spammers) in the "awaiting approval" queue.

I run through the batch management options and by filtering for the user state "awaiting moderation" I can select out the entire group I want to work with. However, the option to ban seemingly only puts these members into the banned usergroup - it doesn't change their user state which seems to remain "awaiting approval" (and still showing in the upper left "moderation corner" of the board). Shouldn't there be a way to put them into either a "banned" user state or the "valid" user state?

Or am I missing something?

 

[MattW]

Does the "Ban users (permanently)" option not work?

EDIT: Misread the second sentence in the second paragraph.

 

[The Sandman]

Does the "Ban users (permanently)" option not work?

Well, as far as I can tell it bans them by placing them in the banned usergroup (however you set up your bans). But it doesn't seem to change their user state, so they continue to show up as "awaiting approval".

 

[Paul B]

The state does change.

A user can be awaiting approval and banned simultaneously.

 

[MattW]

That would still leave them in the queue waiting approval though. Would it not just be easier to delete their accounts?

 

[The Sandman]

The state does change.

A user can be awaiting approval and banned simultaneously.

Yeah, but I want them to stop showing up in red in the upper left "moderation corner". Doesn't their presence there seem to indicate that they need to be addressed in some way? I think there needs to be some additional controls in the batch management tool which will allow us to change the user's state during the process to either "banned" (which doesn't seem to exist) or "valid".

Is the only way to remove those users from the awaiting approval queue to batch delete them then? I thought that was less desirable than banning them.

 

[Paul B]

You are getting confused between the banned state and the user state - they are two different things.

Banning members changes their banned state, not their user state.

What's needed is an additional option to set the user state for batch selected users.

I have made a suggestion here: http://xenforo.com/community/thread...set-user-state-of-batch-selected-users.55777/

 

[The Sandman]

I think there needs to be some additional controls in the batch management tool which will allow us to change the user's state during the process to either "banned" (which doesn't seem to exist) or "valid".

You are getting confused between the banned state and the user state - they are two different things.

Banning members changes their banned state, not their user state.

What's needed is an additional option to set the user state for batch selected users.

I don't think I'm confused - perhaps my terminology was off but clearly you know what I meant, and came to the same conclusion that I did - that additional batch management control is needed over the user state during processing.

 

[Lisa]

Just delete them instead.

 

[The Sandman]

Just delete them instead.

That was my first inclination, but then again wouldn't it be better to keep those usernames and emails blocked from registering again?

 

[MattW]

That was my first inclination, but then again wouldn't it be better to keep those usernames and emails blocked from registering again?

When did most of them sign up? Was it around the time of the XRumer update a few months back where a lot of sites got hit with spam members?

I'd personally delete them all, and install @tenants TAC add-on as they'll not get back in with that in place.

 

[Lisa]

That was my first inclination, but then again wouldn't it be better to keep those usernames and emails blocked from registering again?

I'd go with what @MattW says. It was back when the XRumer attacks happened. They're in unconfirmed so never got as far as finishing the registration. Delete them

 

[The Sandman]

OK then, I will delete them *but* I still think there should be some built in funcionality to change the user state during batch processing.