I recently encountered a frustrating login issue in a user's web application admin section. Despite having the correct credentials, the user was unable to access the system.
To investigate, I requested access to the user's account. Since they used Google Sheets as their database, I was able to directly examine the login credentials. To protect user privacy, I've replaced the actual credentials with placeholder values for this post.
Upon inspection, I discovered that the root cause of the issue was an extra space at the end of the user's login name. To illustrate this problem, I've included images showcasing the incorrect and correct login attempts.
Image of login with extra space
Image of login without extra space
Once the extra space was removed, the user could successfully log in. 😹
To prevent similar issues in the future, I recommend implementing a data cleaning process within the Google Sheets database.
The TRIM function is particularly useful for removing extra spaces from text.
By applying this function to the login name column, you can ensure data consistency and prevent login failures.
Using the TRIM Function
The TRIM function in Google Sheets removes extra spaces from text, including leading, trailing, and repeated spaces, but keeps single spaces between words. It's useful for cleaning up data, especially when text is used in formulas or data validation, where spaces can be significant.
Here's a basic example:
- Data: In cell E2, you have a login name with a trailing space: " username ".
- Formula: In cell F2, enter
=TRIM(E2). This will remove the extra space and return the "username".
To apply the TRIM function to an entire column, use the ARRAYFORMULA function:
- Formula: In cell F2, enter
=ARRAYFORMULA(TRIM(E2:E)). This will apply the TRIM function to all cells in column E and output the results in column F.
Disclaimer
This post is based on a specific incident and the solutions provided are suggestions. The effectiveness of these solutions may vary depending on the specific application and data structure. Always test thoroughly before implementing any changes.
I hope this information proves helpful. Please feel free to share your experiences or ask any questions.