Your association can publish a member directory on the Portal so visitors can look up members without signing in. Your association decides which fields visitors can search and which details appear in the results.
Prerequisites
- You need a page that contains the directory. Your association’s Portal determines where that page appears.
- You do not need to sign in. Directory search works the same whether you are signed in or not.
Search
Tip
You can search only from the directory page itself. Rhythm does not support starting this directory search from a search box on another page or site.
- Open the directory page.
- Fill in the search fields on the directory. Each directory can be set up differently, so the fields, labels, and order can vary.
- If the directory searches by chapter, choose one or more chapters from the picker instead of typing them.
- Run the search.
Result
Members who match your search appear below the search area. If nothing matches, the page tells you that no results were found.
When you search by an organization’s name, the results can include people associated with that organization, even though the organization’s own directory entry does not list those people. There is currently no way to set up an organization’s entry to show them.
What You Can Search On
A directory shows only the search fields your association selected for it, and only while Rhythm still recognizes those fields as searchable. If a selected field no longer qualifies, it does not appear on the search form, and you do not see an error. A member may choose to publish a field, such as an email address, website, or mobile phone number, but that field still may not appear in search results even when the directory otherwise supports it. Check with your association if a field you expect to see is missing.
If the directory searches by chapter, the picker shows only chapters your association has marked active. If the chapter list does not load, the picker appears empty and does not show an error message. Choosing a chapter from the picker matches only members who selected it as their primary chapter, so it may not include members who chose that chapter as a secondary selection.
If your association has turned on location search for the directory, you can search by postal code and distance in miles from that postal code, along with the directory’s other search fields. This uses postal code matching, not a US-only ZIP code lookup, so it can also match a postal code shared with another country. To limit results to one country, add the country to your search along with the postal code.
Tip
Radius searching is available only for postal code searches. Searching by city and state returns exact matches, not nearby results, and there is no setting to turn on a radius around a city or state.
A directory can also offer an exact postal-code match, sometimes labeled Spot On, separate from the distance search above. It returns only records whose postal code is identical to what you entered. If distance search is not available or does not find what you expect for an international address, try an exact postal-code match, or search by country using its two-letter abbreviation instead.
If a directory offers a State field, you choose from a dropdown instead of typing into a box.
Why Some Members Don't Appear
Unless your association set up the directory differently, searches find only members with an active current membership. An explicit condition on the directory usually controls this, so a directory built without that condition can also list inactive or lapsed members. A member who has lapsed, or who has asked not to be listed in directories, does not appear in results, even when you search by name.
Results can lag slightly behind recent changes because directories refresh periodically, not after every search. By default, that refresh happens about every 5 minutes, though your association can set a longer refresh period. A very recent membership change may not appear right away, and the delay can look different depending on how you search. For example, an organization might appear when you search by postal code or country before it appears when you search by name, because each search path was rebuilt at a different time.
If chapter-related fields on a member’s record are inconsistent, or a calculated chapter field has not populated yet, that member may be missing from a chapter-based search even though their membership is otherwise active.
An organization’s directory entry can show more than one result for the same organization when your association has set the directory to include every membership tied to it, rather than only the organization’s own principal membership. In that case, you see one result for the organization and separate results for its associated members.
An organization result generally does not show a first and last name because it represents the organization’s own record rather than a person.
Tip
A member directory that lets a visitor search by person or organization and see limited membership information, without full record access, can also work as a simple public lookup tool for your association, not just as a way to find contact details.
If the Page Won't Load or a Search Never Finishes
If you are having trouble with a directory, first check whether you cannot find or open the directory page, or whether you can open the page but the search does not return results.
A directory search can occasionally keep loading and never return a result, instead of showing matches or a no-results message. If that happens, try again or reload the page.
If your association has turned on location search for the directory but the distance dropdown shows no options, that control failed to load. Reload the page or try again later, and contact your association if it continues.
Why an Organization Might Appear Out of Alphabetical Order
If an organization’s directory listing appears out of alphabetical order, and that organization was recently renamed, the directory may still be sorting by the organization’s earlier name until its next refresh.
Tip
If waiting for the next refresh does not correct the order, changing the organization’s name back to what it was and then back to the name you want has been reported to force the listing to re-sort correctly. This has not been confirmed as a general fix, so wait first, and use the rename-and-rename-back approach only if the order still looks wrong afterward.
If Your Search Is Rejected
If your search does not match the format the directory expects, such as a number range typed incorrectly, the search does not run.