Setting the unique identifier for your Community lets you choose the criterion that distinguishes each member in your contact database (auto-generated ID, email address, or custom field). This setting serves both as the login identifier for the website and as the deduplication key during an Excel import. The unique identifier can only be edited by a primary administrator.
This article covers the following topics:
- How to change the unique identifier
- Which type of unique identifier to choose
- How to handle members without an email or who share one
- What happens if I change the identifier and run imports
How do I change the unique identifier for my Community?
This setting is located in your settings center, accessible at the bottom of the side menu in your administrator space: click Settings, then Customization > Community.
The identifier setting is in the Security section of this page, under Unique user identifier. Click Edit to access the three available options.
This page is also accessible from Community > Settings.
Which type of unique identifier should I choose?
1. The Springly ID
The Springly ID is a number sequence automatically generated by the software for each member. Since every ID is unique by default, this is the identifier selected when a new platform is created.
You can view it from Community > Contacts by checking Contact ID in the information display options.
With this method, a member can only log in to their space (information, purchases made on their behalf, etc.) if they have provided an email address.
When updating members via Excel import, the Contact ID column must be included in the data you copy/paste: this is what prevents duplicate records from being created.
2. Can an email address serve as the unique identifier?
Since email addresses are unique (even if some of your contacts share the same name), you can use them as an identifier. Members then sign in directly with their email address.
❌ If some members don't have an email address, or if multiple people share the same address, email cannot be selected as the unique identifier. See the section "How to manage members without an email address or who share one."
3. How do I use a custom field as a unique identifier?
If your organization already has a field that is specific to each member (membership number, license number, etc.), you can use it as the unique identifier.
First, create this field from Community > Settings.
Then go back to the settings center (Settings > Community) to select this field as the unique identifier.
A member identified by this field can then sign in either with this field or with their email address.
⚠️ If the selected field is a text type, only the following characters are accepted: unaccented letters, numbers, hyphens, and asterisks. Example: "Member 12345" is rejected, "member12345" is accepted.
This custom field must be included in your member imports via Excel.
💡 A person can still sign up temporarily without this field using their email address.
How to manage members without an email address or who share one?
It is common to have people in your database who don't have an email address, or who share the same one — for example, when the email entered for children is a parent's address.
In this case, choose a unique identifier that does not involve an email address:
- The Springly ID: all accounts associated with the same email address are shown at sign-in; the user selects the right account and then enters their password.
- A specific field: the user signs in with this field instead of their email address.
❌ A member without an email address will not receive any emails from the platform (receipts, invoices, password setup). If added manually, they will not be notified that their account has been created.
What happens if I change the identifier and run imports?
The unique identifier you choose is also the key used to recognize an existing member during an Excel import and prevent duplicate records from being created.
If you change the identifier type after you have already run imports based on the previous identifier, any subsequent import that continues to reference the old identifier may no longer match existing records, creating duplicates instead of updating them.
If you have changed your unique identifier and are unsure about an import, feel free to contact our team before running it.
Learn more
- Customize and manage contact profiles in my community
- Add multiple contacts via Excel import
- Prepare your Excel import
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