User directory should handle changes in user types

[DMRobertson]

#11174 introduces an admin API to make a user become a support user. Support users are excluded from the user directory, so doing this should remove the user from the directory. We already have to do something similar when deactivating a user. (But note: we don't update the room sharing tables when _re_activating a user, because deactivating them removes them from all rooms.)

Rough implementation:

• Call UserDirectoryHandler.handle_local_user_deactivated if the user type changes to support
• Rename that method to something more appropriate, e.g. remove_from_directory
• If the user type changes from support to normal, call a new method on the UserDirectoryHandler. Say restore_to_directory
  • That method should call update_profile_in_user_dir on the store
  • and then update the room sharing tables. I think that's a loop over their rooms which calls _track_user_joined_room.

[babolivier]

Ah good catch!

[pierre-alain-b]

Hi there, as of now, when a user is deactivated, it is still visible in the suggestions of Element Web/Desktop which, if I understand correctly, queries Synapse API on https://matrix.org/docs/spec/client_server/r0.6.1#post-matrix-client-r0-user-directory-search
Would it be possible for Synapse to return the status of the user (at least activated/deactivated) so that deactivated users are not shown?

[pierre-alain-b]

Shouldn't there be a check that the user is not deactivated?

synapse/synapse/storage/databases/main/user_directory.py

Line 853 in 287a9c1

%(where_clause)s

That said, I see that in the user_directory table we have no such field...

[pierre-alain-b]

In fact it says here https://github.com/matrix-org/synapse/blob/ea20937084903864865f76e22f67d27729f2d6dc/docs/user_directory.md that deactivated users are not kept in this table. But I have a different behavior on my instance so I am a bit lost here...

[DMRobertson]

Hi @pierre-alain-b. This issue isn't really the right place for this. Let's discuss this in #12431.