Saved query form behavior when shared email address doesn't belong to a user

[murphyke]

Currently, if a query is shared with an email address that doesn't belong to a valid user, the save succeeds, the email is sent (if the email address is valid), and a new user account is created with a random name having the specified email address.

I know this gets into tricky territory, but for an app that requires authentication, I think it would be desirable to warn the user when an attempt is made to share with a non-user. In some cases, this will be the result of a typo. In others, it may not occur to the user that the non-user being shared with will not be able to access the site. (Then there's the whole issue of invalid email addresses, sigh ....)

I'm just opening this up for discussion.

[naegelyd]

I think this would be a useful feature. Would you expect the warning to appear as the user types in the usernames/emails or would the warning happen after they click the share button and the query is created or updated on the server? I have no preference either way, just wondering what your expected behavior would be here.

[murphyke]

@naegelyd I have a mild preference for before the click, but either way would be an improvement.

[bruth]

Hmm, this is getting into the invitation management territory which includes:

• sending the invitation (email)
• keeping track of pending invitations per user
• checking for bounced emails (this may not be necessary)
• ability to resend invitations

It certainly would make the sharing feature more robust and give it a social feel, but I am not sure how high priority it is. The upside is that it's a very isolated feature and would be good for a community member or co-op to pick off.