# View a profile

## 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](doc:navigation-basics) |
| Review the user's authored or favorited articles | [View My Posts and Favorited Posts](doc:view-my-posts-and-favorited-posts) |
| Follow another user | [Follow a user](doc:follow-a-user) |
| Edit your own profile information | [Update settings](doc:update-settings) |
| Understand this profile screen | [Understand the profile screen](#understand-the-profile-screen) |
| Open one of the profile's article lists | [Review a profile's article lists](#review-a-profiles-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**

1. In an article's byline, select the link that displays the author's username.
2. 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](doc: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**

1. 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** |

2. 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](doc:follow-a-user) procedure for
that task. On your own profile, use [Update settings](doc: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](doc:follow-a-user). |

For the two profile article-list destinations, see [View My Posts and Favorited Posts](doc:view-my-posts-and-favorited-posts).

**Result:** You have a clear next destination for the profile task you want to complete.