Player List (Students Database)
Browse all Hogwarts students, view online players, search by name, and send mail. Track student status, levels, locations, and see who's currently wandering the castle.
What Is the Player List?
The Player List is your comprehensive directory of every witch and wizard attending Hogwarts Live - think of it as the magical equivalent of a student registry, except it updates in real-time and doesn't require a trip to the administrative office. Access it from virtually anywhere in the game to see who's online, browse all registered students, search for specific players, or stalk— *ahem* — research your fellow classmates.
The list displays critical information about each student: their alive status (because knowing if someone's currently a ghost is rather important), level, current location, race, pronouns, and when they were last seen. You can click any student's name to view their full bio, or click the convenient scroll icon to send them Owl Post. It's part social directory, part surveillance tool, and entirely essential for navigating Hogwarts' social landscape.
Three Views of the Student Body
List Viewing Modes:
Students Currently Online:
- Access: "Currently Online" link from navigation
- Shows: Only students logged in right now
- Count Display: Shows total number of online students
- Sorted By: Level (highest first), then Voldemort Encounters, then alphabetically
- Real-Time: Updates based on activity within last few minutes (Config::LOGINTIMEOUT)
- Use Case: Quick check of who's around for interaction, PvP, or socializing
Hogwarts Students (Full List):
- Access: Page navigation links (Page 1, Page 2, etc.)
- Shows: All registered students, alive and dead
- Pagination: 100 students per page
- Page Display: "Active Hogwarts Students (Page X: Y-Z of Total)"
- Navigation: Links show range (e.g., "Page 1 (1-100)", "Page 2 (101-200)")
- Current Page: Highlighted in bold green
- Use Case: Browsing entire student body, finding specific players when search fails
Online House Members:
- Access: "Online House Members" link (only visible if you've joined a Common Room)
- Shows: Only members of your player-created House who are currently online
- Filter: Limited to your clanid (Common Room ID)
- Display: "Clan Members Online"
- Use Case: Coordinate with House members, check if leadership is around
The Student Table
Table Columns Explained:
Alive Status:
- Yes (Green): Student is alive and kicking
- No (Red): Student is dead (0 HP, wandering the Shades)
- Unconscious (Brown): Student has positive HP but alive=false (knocked out but not dead)
- Importance: Can't attack dead players, can't send certain items to unconscious players
Level (Purple):
- Display: Purple number (e.g., "15")
- Indicates: Character power level, unlocked content
- Sorted: Highest levels appear first in all list views
- Use Case: Gauge difficulty of PvP target, find experienced players for advice
Name (Clickable):
- Display: Green clickable name (display name, not login name)
- Mail Icon: Scroll image before name - click to open Owl Post compose window
- Bio Link: Click name to view full character biography/profile
- Popup: Mail link opens in popup window (or new tab if popups blocked)
- Login Name: Needed for sending mail, visible in bio or use search
Location:
- Display: Green location name (e.g., "Hogwarts Grounds", "The Hog's Head Inn")
- (Online) Indicator: Green "(Online)" appears if student logged in within timeout window
- Stalking Tool: See where players are currently located (if online)
- Last Known Location: Offline players show their last location before logging out
Race:
- Display: Race name (e.g., "Human", "Half-Giant", "Werewolf")
- Unknown: Players who haven't set a race show "Unknown"
- Translated: Uses translation system for multilingual support
Pronouns:
- Options: He/Him, She/Her, They/Them, Other
- Respect: Use these pronouns when referring to players
- Gender Identity: Player-selected during character creation
Last On:
- Display: Relative time (e.g., "2 hours ago", "3 days ago", "just now")
- Online Check: If within timeout window + loggedin=true, shows "(Online)" in Location
- Activity Tracking: Useful for knowing if player is active or dormant
Search Functionality
Finding Specific Students:
How to Search:
- Search Box: "Search by name: " input field at top of page
- Submit: "Search" button to execute query
- Searches Both: Login name AND display name
- Partial Matching: Searches for partial matches (e.g., "Har" finds "Harry", "Harrison", "Harriet")
- Multiple Words: Splits search into individual words, finds any match
- Case Insensitive: "harry" = "Harry" = "HARRY"
Search Results:
- Display: Shows all matching students in table format
- No Pagination: Search results not paginated (all on one page)
- Too Many Results: If over Config::maxlistsize matches, shows warning and limits display
- Warning Message: "Too many names match that search. Showing only the first X."
- Refine Search: Add more letters to narrow results
Search Tips:
- Login vs Display: Search works for both, but login names are unique (no duplicates)
- Common Names: Searching "Harry" might return dozens of results - be specific
- Unique Fragments: Try searching part of login name for more precise results
- Clear Button: Clear search to return to main list view
Interacting With Students
Actions From the List:
Send Owl Post:
- Scroll Icon: Click small scroll image before player's name
- Opens Compose: Owl Post compose window with recipient pre-filled
- Popup Window: Opens in popup (convenient for quick messages without losing your place)
- Login Name: Automatically uses correct login name for addressing mail
- Alternative: Can also navigate to mail.php manually and type login name
View Biography:
- Name Link: Click green player name to open bio.php
- Shows: Full character profile, stats, description, achievements
- Use Case: Learn about player's character, check stats before PvP, read RP descriptions
- Privacy: All bios are public (no privacy settings)
PvP Targeting:
- Scout Targets: Use list to find players at your level for fair PvP
- Check Alive Status: Can't attack dead players (red status)
- Level Comparison: Purple level numbers help gauge difficulty
- Location Tracking: See where online players are located
Pagination System
Navigating Multiple Pages:
Page Display:
- Players Per Page: 100 students per page
- Page Links: "Pages" section with clickable links
- Link Format: "Page X (Y-Z)" shows which students are on each page
- Example: "Page 1 (1-100)", "Page 2 (101-200)", "Page 3 (201-250)"
- Current Page: Shown in bold green: " ?`b`#Page X`0 (Y-Z)`b"
- Header Display: Page header shows "Active Hogwarts Students (Page X: Y-Z of Total)"
How Pagination Works:
- Sorted Order:.)
- Translation Ready: All text uses translate_inline() for multilingual support
- Relative Dates: Last On uses relativedate() function (e.g., "2 hours ago")
- HTML Table: Traditional HTML table with border, cellpadding, cellspacing
- Row Striping: Alternating row colors (.trdark /.trlight classes)
Anonymous Access:
- ALLOW_ANONYMOUS: Non-logged-in users can view player list
- Limited Columns: Anonymous users see reduced columns (Name, Pronouns only)
- Email List Fallback: Anonymous view uses email_list table instead of accounts
- Marketing: Allows potential players to see active community before registering
Strategy & Tips
Player List Mastery
- Check Online Before Mail: Click "Currently Online" to see if recipient is around for quick response
- Scout PvP Targets: Use list to find appropriate-level targets, check if they're online/alive
- House Coordination: "Online House Members" shows who's around for group activities
- Search for Login Names: When sending mail, search player list to get exact login name
- Bio Stalking: Click names to read character bios, learn about players' RP style
- Level Comparison: Purple level numbers help gauge who's at your tier
- Location Awareness: See where online players are - useful for finding RP partners
- Pronouns Matter: Check pronouns column before referring to players in chat
- Last On Tracking: Identify active vs dormant accounts before sending important mail
- Pagination Navigation: Use page links showing ranges to jump directly to alphabetical sections
- Search Refinement: Too many results? Add more characters to narrow search
- Mail Popup: Scroll icon opens mail in popup - write messages without losing your list page
- Alive Status Check: Red status = dead, can't be attacked (save your PvP energy)
- Community Gauge: Check "Currently Online" count to see server activity levels
- Race Information: Use race column to identify race-specific players for themed RP
- Bookmark Favorites: Save bio.php URLs of friends for quick access
Common Questions
Player List FAQ:
Q: Why can't I find a player in the search?
A: You might be searching their display name when you need their login name (or vice versa). The search checks both, but try different variations. Also, check if they're locked (banned accounts don't appear). Try searching just part of the name, or browse the paginated full list.
Q: What's the difference between display name and login name?
A: Login name is the unique account identifier used for logging in and sending mail. Display name is the character name shown in green on the list. They're often similar but not always identical. When sending mail, you need the login name.
Q: Why does someone show as online but their Last On says hours ago?
A: The Last On timestamp might not update on every page view. The "(Online)" indicator in the Location column is more accurate - it checks if they're logged in AND their laston is within the timeout window. If you see "(Online)", they're definitely active right now.
Q: Can I hide from the player list?
A: No. All registered, non-locked accounts appear on the player list. This is intentional - Hogwarts Live is a social game, and discoverability is important. If you're online, you'll show as online. If you log out, you'll show your last location and last on time.
Q: What does "Unconscious" mean in the Alive column?
A: Unconscious means the player has alive=false but hitpoints > 0. This is an unusual state - typically you're either alive (alive=true, HP > 0) or dead (alive=false, HP = 0). Unconscious players might be in special story situations or affected by certain spells/modules.
Admin Configuration
Configurable Settings:
- Config::LOGINTIMEOUT: Seconds before considering a player "offline" (default varies, typically 600-900 seconds)
- Config::maxlistsize: Maximum search results displayed before truncation warning
- Players Per Page: Hardcoded to 100 ($playersperpage = 100)
- ALLOW_ANONYMOUS: Whether non-logged-in users can view the list (currently enabled)
- Translation Schema: Uses tlschema("list") for multilingual support
Player List Summary: Access via list.php to view all Hogwarts students. Three views: "Students Currently Online" (online only), "Hogwarts Students" (paginated full list, 100 per page), "Online House Members" (your Common Room). Table columns: Alive (Yes/No/Unconscious), Level (purple), Name (clickable to bio, mail scroll icon), Location ((Online) indicator), Race, Pronouns (He/Him, She/Her, They/Them, Other), Last On (relative time). Search by name (partial matches both login and display names). Click scroll icon to send Owl Post in popup. Click name to view full bio. Sorted by level DESC, Voldemort Encounters DESC, login ASC. Locked accounts excluded. Anonymous users see limited columns.