Chapter 4 - Managing Nicknames
Nicknames allow users to assign short, descriptive aliases to StreetTalk resources. While any resource can have a nickname, they are typically applied to users. Establishing nicknames for long or complicated names allows users quicker access to others through mail and STDA client programs.
This section describes how to create and maintain nicknames. It provides information on the following topics:
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Guidelines for nicknames ![]()
Adding nicknames ![]()
Obtaining nickname information ![]()
Deleting nicknames
StreetTalk nicknames are names that provide brief aliases for complete names. A user can have multiple StreetTalk nicknames. You can create nicknames for network services, lists, and users.
Example Creating a Nickname
Suppose an item name on the network, such as a user's legal name, is long or has a complicated spelling, as in this example:
Edward D. DeAubinville
Logging in with the user's entire item name is inconvenient.
If you create a nickname for the user's StreetTalk name, that user can type in the following nickname at login time:
EdD
Internally, StreetTalk automatically converts the nickname to the user's full name within the context of a default group and organization. When you rename a user, the user's previous name is automatically converted into a nickname that refers to the new name you establish. In this way when you invoke the nickname that refers to the previous name, that name (now a nickname) automatically refers to the new name you specified in the rename operation.
When you create nicknames, always follow the same standards for all nicknames that you create. For example, use the first name and first letter of the last name as in the previous example, or use the first letter of first, middle, and last names. Whatever standard you choose, apply it consistently to all users.
The following rules apply to StreetTalk nicknames:
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Nicknames refer only to users, lists, services, and other nicknames. They cannot refer to groups, organizations, or servers. ![]()
An item can have more than one nickname. ![]()
You can add nicknames for a user when you add the user to the network, as well as later when you manage that user. ![]()
If a nickname refers to a list, any operation performed on the nickname can affect all items in the list. ![]()
To manage nicknames, you must belong to the AdminList for the appropriate group.
Users who are in the same group as the nickname enter only the nickname.
Example Entering a Nickname
A user has the StreetTalk name:
Jerilyn Dana Holzberger@Sales@WCTUS
She is assigned the nickname Jeri. Anyone in the group Sales@WCTUS can refer to her by entering:
jeri
Users who are in Jeri's organization but are not in the same group must enter the group portion of the nickname as well:
jeri@Sales
When users in another organization want to use a nickname, they must include both group and organization portions of the nickname. For example:
jeri@Sales@WCTUS
Users in groups and organizations other than Jeri's can create a nickname to refer to her without specifying her group or organization. An administrator in the group Finance@WCTBE can create the nickname
jeri@Finance@WCTBE
This nickname refers to the full name:
Jerilyn Dana Holzberger@Sales@WCTUS
People in finance@WCTBE can now refer to her by entering:
jeri
From StreetTalk Explorer:
1. Click the New Nickname icon.
2. Enter the real name or another nickname in the new nickname in the Real name dialog box, and the new nickname in the Nickname dialog box.
3. Click Finish.
See Introduction to StreetTalk Explorer for a description of StreetTalk Explorer.
From the System Prompt:
1. Enter MNICK at the command line. The Manage Nicknames menu appears.
2. Select ADD a nickname. The Add A Nickname screen appears.
3. Enter the nickname and the full name. If the object has a nickname, you can use that nickname when MNICK prompts you for the full name.
4. The group and organization portions of the nickname's StreetTalk name appear. MNICK prompts you to confirm the add operation. Select YES to add the nickname.
Note: Use a name that clearly indicates what the nickname represents because your system can have many nicknames. For example, to refer to Curtis VanDemark@Sales@WCTUS, you could use his initials, CVD, as the nickname.
Obtaining Nickname Information
One of your most important tasks in managing nicknames is obtaining information on existing nicknames. Two categories of information apply to a nickname:
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The name a nickname refers to ![]()
All the nicknames for a name
You do not need to belong to the user's AdminList to get this information. You access the Manage Nicknames menu to obtain information on nicknames.
The following sections show how to obtain nickname information.
To Find the Name Referred to by a Nickname
From StreetTalk Explorer:
1. Click the Browse Nicknames icon.
All the nicknames in the group display in the right pane.
2. Right-click the nickname and select Properties from the shortcut menu. The full name displays on the property sheet.
See Introduction to StreetTalk Explorer for a description of StreetTalk Explorer.
From the System Prompt:
1. At the Manage Nicknames menu, choose SELECT to select a nickname from the list or use the SEARCH function to locate the nickname. The full StreetTalk name and other relevant information for the nickname you selected appears.
2. You have the option of deleting the nickname. Since you only want to view information, select NO.
To Find All the Nicknames for a Name
From StreetTalk Explorer:
1. Click the Browse All icon in the toolbar.
2. Right-click the full StreetTalk name of the item in the right pane and select Nicknames from the shortcut menu.
All nicknames for the item display on the property sheet.
See Introduction to StreetTalk Explorer for a description of StreetTalk Explorer.
From the System Prompt:
1. At the Manage Nicknames menu, select FIND Nicknames for a full name. The Find Nicknames screen appears.
2. Enter the full name of the person for whom you want nicknames.
3. At the next screen, use the default search pattern or enter a new one.
A list of all the nicknames associated with that name within the nickname's search pattern appears. Note that if you select a nickname, you are asked if you want to delete it.
From StreetTalk Explorer:
1. Click the Browse Nickname icon.
The nicknames display in the right pane.
2. Right-click the nickname and select Delete, or select the nickname and select File, Delete.
3. Confirm that you want to delete the nickname.
See Introduction to StreetTalk Explorer for a description of StreetTalk Explorer.
From the System Prompt:
1. At the Manage Nicknames menu, use SELECT from list below to select a nickname from the displayed list, or SEARCH for other nicknames to locate the nickname you want. The Delete Or View a Nickname Screen appears with the full StreetTalk name and other relevant information about the nickname you selected.
2. Select YES to delete the nickname. MNICK requests a confirmation before deleting the nickname.
When you delete a nickname, users can no longer refer to the item by that nickname. However, they can still use the item's full StreetTalk name.