Overview
Portal user accounts allow your external users to register, log in, and have a personalised experience on your portal. This article explains how user accounts work, how to manage them, and when to enable or disable this feature.
Anonymous vs. Authenticated Portals
You can run your portal in two modes:
| Mode | How It Works | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Anonymous | User accounts are disabled. Anyone can browse the knowledge base and submit tickets without logging in. Ticket submitters provide their name and email on the form. | Public-facing help portals with high traffic where you want zero friction |
| Authenticated | User accounts are enabled. Users can register and log in. Logged-in users have their details pre-filled and can track their submissions. | Customer support portals where you want to identify users and track their history |
How Registration Works
When user accounts are enabled, the portal displays Log In and Register options. New users can create an account by providing:
- Their full name
- An email address (used as their login identifier)
- A password
After registration, the user receives a verification email. They must click the verification link to confirm their email address before their account is fully activated.
User Account States
| Status | Description |
|---|---|
| Pending Verification | The user has registered but has not yet verified their email address |
| Active | The user has verified their email and can log in normally |
| Suspended | The account has been suspended by an administrator. The user cannot log in. |
Managing Portal Users
Portal user accounts are visible as Portal User records within DemandFlow. You can:
- View all registered portal users and their status
- See when each user last logged in
- Suspend an account to prevent a user from logging in
- Reactivate a suspended account
Portal users are linked to the specific portal they registered on. If you have multiple portals, each has its own set of user accounts.
Password Reset
Portal users can reset their own password using the Forgot Password link on the login page. This sends a password reset email to the user's registered email address with a time-limited reset link.
When to Enable User Accounts
- Enable when you want to identify users, track their ticket history, or provide a personalised experience
- Enable for contractor portals where you need to know who is submitting timesheets and expenses
- Disable for public information portals where the knowledge base is the primary feature and you want zero barriers to access
- Disable if you want the simplest possible ticket submission flow without requiring registration