Failure to correctly set display names to First/Last Name

I know that this was discussed in the past, but in System Console, I’ve set my Mattermost 5.39.0 instance to display First/Last Names above user posts. However, it doesn’t seem to work, and users are still having to go to their local settings to set the displayed name to First/Last name.

Is there a way for the admin (me) to set First/Last name as the displayed name on posts, globally? I don’t mind that users can override the setting, but I’d like for it to be the initial default when they join.

Alternately, is there a way to expand the number of permitted characters in the nickname? What I really want is for users to be able to set their displayed name to rather long strings, but so far only the First and Last names seem to allow the number of characters some users require.

hi @klaatu, welcome to the community!

Based on your description, this appears to be a potential bug in the software. Would you be open to help share the following, so we can more easily troubleshoot it:

  1. What OS and version is the Mattermost server installed? (E.g.: Ubuntu 16.04, RHEL 7.1)
  2. Are you running Mattermost in a container and/or using container orchestration?
  3. Are multiple people experiencing the same issue after you try to change the default to First/Last name, including a newly created account?
  4. Can you help confirm you are changing the setting in System Console > Users and Teams > Teammate Name Display?

As for the nickname attribute - this may be related to how the nickname field is defined in the database (set to a max of 22 characters by default). We can verify this.

For your users, if they can set the First and Last names to long strings, is there a different field they’d like to use for the nickname that is equally as long?

It sounds like you’re having trouble getting First/Last names to display above user posts in your Mattermost 5.39.0 instance, despite having set the option in the System Console. One possibility is that users may have to update their local settings to reflect this change.

To address your question about setting First/Last names as the default display name on posts, there may be a way to do this as an admin, although the specific steps would depend on your Mattermost instance’s settings and configuration. It’s worth checking the Mattermost documentation or reaching out to their support team for guidance on how to achieve this.

As for allowing longer strings for nicknames, you may also be able to adjust this setting as an admin. Again, this would depend on the specific configuration of your Mattermost instance. It’s possible that there may be a limit on the number of characters allowed for nicknames, but it’s worth investigating whether this can be expanded.

Overall, it’s a good idea to explore the Mattermost documentation and support resources to see if you can find a solution to your issues.

I hope you got the point