Name goes to wrong field in "contacts"

[Karl]

If I create a new user there is only a field "Display name" where I put the "firstname" and "lastname".

OpenGoo then creates automatically a contact out of this user. But the "Display name" goes to the wrong field "firstname" instead of "firstname" and "lastname".

[werner.wuerfel]

Hi Karl,

I think there is no automatic to transfer the "Display name" from the user to the "firstname" and "lastname" off the contact.

If you using for the "Display name" only a short name or an imaginative name, then it is not possible.

So the developers put the "Display name" into the "firstname" off the contact. You have to change this by eding the contact data of the user.

[Karl]

Yes, I know. But this is not very useful.
Maybe the developer find another clever way for this issue.
 

[mailnet_uk]

To the developers:

How about splitting the display name field by a space?

So "Andy Shellam" in display name becomes "Andy" (forename) and "Shellam" (surname) in the contact data.

But like "Billy Bob Thornton" could become "Billy" (forename) and "Thornton" (surname), leaving the middle name "Bob" in the display name only.

That's if I've understood Karl's issue correctly.

[Karl]

Yes, this could work.

But there are countries, where it's common to write the name backwards like in Austria (I think) and Hungary: Surname Forename.

[mailnet_uk]

Ah yes, that's true, India I think is also popular for this.

Perhaps have this determined by a config option?  Or a quick link on the Contact page next to the Fore/Surname fields that switches the 2 values?

[ignacio]

The problem with splitting by spaces is that you can have cases like these where no single way of splitting the name will work for both:
1) John Paul Smith
2) Mary Von Neumann

In the first case John Paul is the name and Smith the lastname. In the second case Mary is the name and Von Neumann is the last name.

Another possible solution would be to have two fields for users, one for the first name and one for the last name. Then the association would be direct.

[Karl]

Another possible solution would be to have two fields for users, one for the first name and one for the last name. Then the association would be direct.

Yes, I think this would be the best solution.

Karl