User talk:Balboabeach

Sorry to hear about the login problems! When you say that you could log in as Biomassbob on your new computer, does it mean that it said "Biomassbob" under "Logged In As" on database pages? And did it say "Biomassbob" next to "my talk" at the very top of each ISFDB Wiki page? Also, when you say that you "couldn't make any changes, including replying to messages on my talk page or editing existing pubs", what kind of error messages did you get? Finally, do you still have the old computer? If so, can you edit Wiki pages and database records when you log in from it? Ahasuerus 11:32, 2 July 2021 (EDT)

It said I was logged in as Biomassbob. I also tried logging out and then logging in again, and was told I was logged in. But the [Edit] was missing over each message on my talk page. I didn't get error messages, there was no way to access anything. The old computer is gone, although I have a laptop that I will try; I'll let you know what I find. Balboabeach 12:19, 2 July 2021 (EDT)

Good grief, I just went back to the Biomassbob base page, and now I can access everything. I don't know what you did, but it seems the problem is solved. Balboabeach 12:22, 2 July 2021 (EDT)

I don't think I did anything, but I am happy to hear that the problem has been resolved :-) Welcome back! Ahasuerus 12:27, 2 July 2021 (EDT)

Not so. Although it says I was logged in as Biomassbob, when I used my Biomassbob talk page, it said I was Balboabeach! Weird. Balboabeach 12:29, 2 July 2021 (EDT)

O.K., checked using the laptop, and the Biomassbob identity doesn't work there either. I can log out, log back in, but can't access anything. So it's not the new computer, it's something about that identity. Balboabeach 12:45, 2 July 2021 (EDT)

Hm... Checking the block log, I see that "Biomassbob" is not blocked. Checking the "User Rights management" page, I see that "Biomassbob" is a moderator. Everything looks OK.

As an experiment, I have removed the moderator flag and the old, unused, "Write" flag from your Wiki account, then re-set the moderator flag. Could you please try logging in again to see if it helped? Also, could you please do a full page reload ("Control-F5" using most browsers) to see if it changes anything? Ahasuerus 12:57, 2 July 2021 (EDT)

Again logged out and then logged in as Biomassbob. Did the full page reload. I can operate, including moderate, but as Balboabeach, not Biomassbob. Incidentally, I'm not sure how to log out of the Balboabeach identity. Balboabeach 13:37, 2 July 2021 (EDT)

OK, I see that you approved this submission just a few minutes ago. The submission says "Approved by Biomassbob (Talk) on 2021-07-02 13:29:56", which means that you are logged in on as "Biomassbob" on the ISFDB side. That's good news because it means that the account is active and healthy.

Now, keep in mind that the core ISFDB database, including all of the bibliographic and data editing/moderating tools, is separate from the ISFDB Wiki. It's possible to be signed in on the database side using one account and signed in on the Wiki side using another account. That's what I expect is happening to you at the moment: you are signed in as "Biomassbob" on the database side and as "Balboabeach" on the Wiki side.

In order to log out on the Wiki side, you need to click the "log out" link, which is displayed at the very top of all Wiki pages on the far right side. Once you do it, that part of the Wiki page will change to read "Log in" instead. Click it and enter the username and password for "Biomassbob". Hopefully it will work :-) Ahasuerus 13:59, 2 July 2021 (EDT)

No joy. Once I log out as Balboabeach, I can't edit anything, including this page. Logged out and in again as Biomassbob and it didn't help. But when I'm logged out as Balboabeach, I can still moderate (as Biomassbob). Balboabeach 15:21, 2 July 2021 (EDT)

Something is very odd here. Let's start by checking one thing. When you access the New Submissions list on the database side, what does it say in the navigation bar on the left immediately below "Logged In As" (in large white letters against a dark background) and immediately above "Log Out"? Ahasuerus 16:19, 2 July 2021 (EDT)

Biomassbob. If I log out of Biomassbob but am still in Balboabeach, there is nothing there, and I'm told I can't perform edits. Whenever I'm logged in as both, I never see Balboabeach under logged in as. If I'm logged in only as Balboabeach, the Moderator choice is missing.Balboabeach 21:01, 2 July 2021 (EDT)

OK, so it looks like everything is fine on the database side -- "Biomassbob" appears under "Looged In As" and you can create and moderate submission. The problem, then, is on the Wiki side.

Now, the important thing to remember is that you can use one account to log in on the database side while using another account to log in on the Wiki side. For example, I can use "Ahasuerus" to log in on the database side and "Fixer" to log in on the Wiki side. Or I can be logged in on the database side and not logged in on the Wiki side -- or vice versa. As a general rule, it's not recommended, because it leads to confusion. In your case you are logged in as "Biomassbob" in the database side and as "Balboabeach" on the Wiki side. What we want to do is to make sure that you are logged in as "Biomassbob" on both sides.

Before we continue, let's check something. The very first line of this Wiki page, User talk:Balboabeach, currently says "Balboabeach My talk My preferences My watchlist My contributions Log out", right? And if you switch to a database page like the New Submissions list, it says "Biomassbob" under "Logged In As", right? Ahasuerus 11:32, 3 July 2021 (EDT)

Correct. Balboabeach 15:49, 3 July 2021 (EDT)

Very good! Let's try to do the following then:

• First, it would be a good idea to copy the instructions below to a separate Notepad file or some other window where they won't get lost as you navigate the Wiki. (If you run into any deviations from what the instructions describe, please note them and post your findings below.)
• Next, on the very top line of the current Wiki page, the one that says "Balboabeach My talk My preferences My watchlist My contributions Log out", click the "Log out" link on the far right
• You should see the following text displayed:
  • You are now logged out.
  • You can continue to use ISFDB anonymously, or you can log in again as the same or as a different user. Note that some pages may continue to be displayed as if you were still logged in, until you clear your browser cache.
  • Return to User talk:Balboabeach.
• Where the "Log out" link used to be, you should see a "Log in / create account" link. Click it.
• A "Log in / create account" page will appear. It will ask you to enter your user name and password. Enter "Biomassbob" in the "Username" field and the password for the Biomassbob account in the "Password" field. The password should be the same as the one that you used for "Biomassbob" on the database side. Check the "Remember my login on this computer" box, then click the "Log in" button.
• The Web page should change to:
  • Login successful
  • You are now logged in to ISFDB as "Biomassbob".
  • Return to Main Page.
• The top line on the Web page should say "Biomassbob My talk My preferences My watchlist My contributions Log out"
• At this point you should be -- theoretically -- logged in as Biomassbob and be able to edit Wiki pages. If, at any point, what you see deviates from what these instructions predict, please let me know exactly where the deviation occurred.

TIA! Ahasuerus 16:08, 3 July 2021 (EDT)

It worked like a charm. Thank you for all your help on this. I'll never try to log into the Balboabeach account again, so if you can delete it, great. Bob 17:31, 3 July 2021 (EDT)

Excellent! Welcome back :-) I can't easily delete an account, but if you don't touch it again, it will just stay dormant. Ahasuerus 18:15, 3 July 2021 (EDT)