What a profile contains
A profile is a public view of a user's basic information and the articles that user has created or favorited. Open it when you need to identify the user behind an article or review that user's article lists.
| If you need to… | Go to |
|---|---|
| Find a profile from another part of the application | Navigation basics |
| Review the user's authored or favorited articles | View My Posts and Favorited Posts |
| Follow another user | Follow a user |
| Edit your own profile information | Update settings |
| Understand this profile screen | Understand the profile screen |
| Open one of the profile's article lists | Review a profile's article lists |
Before you start
The profile page uses a username in its destination to load the corresponding profile. You need a profile link or another in-app route to the profile before you begin; do not replace the username with a value from a different profile.
Prerequisites
- You have an in-app link to the profile you want to open.
- You know whether you are reviewing your own profile or another user's profile, because the profile header offers different controls in those two cases.
Find and open a profile
An in-app profile destination opens the profile for the username carried by that destination. Use this route when you need to review an existing user's information rather than enter new profile data.
Steps
- In an article's byline, select the link that displays the author's username.
- Confirm that the profile information appears.
Result: The Profile screen opens for the selected username.
Understand the profile screen
The profile screen identifies a user at the top and places that user's article list below the profile header. It provides the user's profile image, username, and bio, followed by the article list tabs My Posts and Favorited Posts.
The profile image appears above the username. The bio appears below the username; when no bio is available, the profile shows an empty bio paragraph. The article list appears below the tabs.
| Area | What you use it for |
|---|---|
| Profile image | Recognize the profile visually. |
| Username | Confirm whose profile is open. |
| Bio | Read the user's short profile description. |
| Error area | Read a profile-load message when the profile cannot be loaded. |
| My Posts | Open articles created by the user whose profile is open. |
| Favorited Posts | Open articles favorited by the user whose profile is open. |
| Article list | Review the articles for the selected tab. |
The profile view displays profile information and article lists. Profile editing belongs in Update settings, rather than in the profile information area.
Review a profile's article lists
The profile's article lists let you switch between articles created by the user whose profile is open and articles that user has favorited.
Prerequisites
- The Profile screen is open.
Steps
-
Select the tab that matches what you want to review:
If you want to… Select Review articles created by the user whose profile is open My Posts Review articles favorited by the user whose profile is open Favorited Posts -
Review the article list below the tabs.
Result: The selected article list is displayed for the profile you opened.
Profile variations
The profile header changes according to whether the open profile belongs to you or to another user. This determines whether the header offers profile settings or a follow relationship control.
| Profile you opened | Header option |
|---|---|
| Your own profile | Edit Profile Settings opens the settings page. |
| Another user's profile | A follow relationship control appears in the header. |
On another user's profile, the control displays a follow or unfollow action according to the current relationship. Follow the dedicated Follow a user procedure for that task. On your own profile, use Update settings to edit your profile information.
When the profile cannot load
The profile page displays its error area above the profile information when loading fails.
| What you see | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
Failed to load profile | The profile information did not load. | Return to the profile link and try opening the profile again. |
What to do next
After reviewing the profile header, choose the next task from the profile's available destinations:
| Condition | Next action or destination |
|---|---|
| You want to review articles created by the user whose profile is open | Select My Posts. |
| You want to review articles favorited by the user whose profile is open | Select Favorited Posts. |
| The profile belongs to you and you want to edit your profile information | Select Edit Profile Settings to continue in settings. |
| The profile belongs to another user and you want to manage the follow relationship | Continue with Follow a user. |
For the two profile article-list destinations, see View My Posts and Favorited Posts.
Result: You have a clear next destination for the profile task you want to complete.
Was this page helpful?