@ syntax as a synonym for user name=

[deborah]

Title:
@ syntax as a synonym for user name=

Area:
Entries

Summary:
In an entry, if someone types "@[string]" (more specifically, something like "(^|\s)@[legal characters in usernames]*\b), check to see if that's a username at posting time. If so, translate it internally to <user name="> syntax.

Description:
This would allow users to choose the now-common shorthand of '@username' to indicate users on the local system. This would be taking a design pattern that has become mainstream over the last several years, which users are used due from Tumblr, Slack, Twitter, etc. I'm not suggesting auto complete; there are too many more important pending changes to the post system. I'm also not suggesting a variant for the other-sites functionality of the user element; no @username@twitter, or something. Just a very straightforward replacement. But this would be a nice shorthand that users have become accustomed to.

Poll #20845 @ syntax as a synonym for user name=

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 120

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This suggestion:

View Answers

Should be implemented as-is.
56 (46.7%)

Should be implemented with changes. (please comment)
39 (32.5%)

Shouldn't be implemented.
14 (11.7%)

(I have no opinion)
10 (8.3%)

(Other: please comment)
1 (0.8%)

Comments

don't do other sites, and don't convert pasted or past instances

[kindnesstheorist]

I don't like any of the other-site syntax options, because every option I can think of is ambiguous. Some sites allow dots/periods/at signs/anything in their usernames, to which the only correct solution is escaping, which ime end users hate. I think it should be just Dreamwidth; the other sites can have their specialized escaping and formatting done by the rich editor.

Things that are pasted in should not have their ats converted, which fixes most links. (Users who both link to Medium/etc and have to retype their URLs by hand can go to settings for a fix; that is an unusual use case.) Posts made in the past should not automatically be converted. No notification should be made to the user who was linked to, regardless of whether the user sending and/or the user receiving expresses consent; the comments system works fine for public conversations.