Building Personalized User Names with Memberstack in Webflow

User personalization is a key aspect of creating engaging and dynamic websites. In this tutorial, we will learn how to utilize Memberstack to insert a user's name into a text block on a Webflow site. Memberstack is a powerful tool for creating membership-based sites, and in this tutorial, we will focus on personalizing the user experience for logged-in users by displaying their name anywhere on the site.

Getting Started with Memberstack

Before we begin, it's important to understand that Memberstack is the foundation for creating membership-based sites. We will first need to set up a test account and then proceed to set the user's name, which will be saved in metadata and accessed later to personalize the user experience.

Setting Up Memberstack

1. Upon accessing the live example, you will encounter two forms on the page.
2. The first form is to sign up and create a Memberstack account.
3. The second form is to set the user's name.

Why Separate Name Setting from Account Creation?

You might be wondering why we are separating the process of setting the user's name from the account creation. This separation is necessary because we cannot access the metadata from Memberstack before the user has logged in. Therefore, setting the user's name after account creation enables us to accurately capture and utilize the metadata.

Creating a Test Account and Setting User's Name

1. Start by creating a test account using the signup form.
2. Upon successful signup, log in to the account and proceed to set the user's name.
3. Enter the desired name and save it.

Displaying User's Name

Once the user's name is set, it can be displayed anywhere on the site, such as in the navigation or on specific pages.

Designing the User Name Personalization

Now that we understand the process of setting up Memberstack and personalizing the user's name, let's dive into how to design and integrate this feature into a Webflow site.

Webflow Designer Setup

1. Signup Form: The Memberstack signup form does not require any unique customization. It functions based on the standard Memberstack data attributes.
2. Name Setting Form: On the form for setting the user's name, we utilize unique classes to trigger the name update. The button class "hack 33 update name" is key to initiating the name update. Additionally, the input for accepting the user's name is assigned the ID "hack 33 name," and the text block where the personalized message will appear has the class "hack 33 personalized text."

Dealing with Flashing Text Issue

In the live example, a minor issue was observed where the existing text briefly flashed while loading the personalized name. To mitigate this, you can introduce a slight delay in the text loading or use a placeholder like a space or dash to avoid the flash. Additionally, employing an interaction with a quick page load after a short delay can provide a seamless user experience.

Implementing the JavaScript

To actualize the user name personalization, we need to incorporate custom JavaScript code into the Webflow site. This code will be responsible for checking the user's logged-in status and updating the personalized text accordingly. Let's break down the JavaScript code and understand its functionality.

JavaScript Integration for User Name Personalization

The JavaScript integration can be divided into two main sections: site-wide settings and page-specific settings.

Site-wide Settings

1. Memberstack Script: Insert the Memberstack script above the closing body tag. This script allows access to the user's metadata and enables personalized greetings across all pages of the website based on the user's name.

// memberstack script goes here

1. Personalization Logic: Utilizing an if statement, the script checks if the user is logged in and if their first name is saved in the metadata. Based on this evaluation, it updates the personalized text on the page to greet the user with their name.

if (/* user is logged in */) {  if (/* user's first name is saved in metadata */) {    // Personalize the text with the user's name  } else {    // Set a standard greeting message  }} else {  // Handle the case when the user is not logged in}

Page-specific Settings

1. Name Setting Page: On the page where the user sets their name, the JavaScript code targets the button associated with updating the name. When the button is clicked, the script prevents the form submission and saves the user's name in the metadata.

// Script for handling name update button click event

1. Metadata Update: Upon entering and submitting the user's name, the script captures the name and saves it in the metadata, ensuring its accessibility across different pages of the site.

// Save the user's name in metadata

Integrating the JavaScript in Webflow

To integrate the JavaScript code into your Webflow site, follow these steps:

1. Access the Webflow Designer.
2. Open the page where the name setting form is located.
3. Navigate to the Custom Code section and insert the page-specific JavaScript code within the "Page Settings."
4. Ensure that the site-wide JavaScript logic is placed in the global site settings or is included directly in the site's JavaScript file.

By following these steps, the user name personalization feature will be seamlessly integrated into your Webflow site, providing a dynamic and engaging user experience.

Conclusion

In this tutorial, we have explored the process of leveraging Memberstack to personalize a user's name on a Webflow site. By following the detailed instructions provided, you can effectively implement this feature and enhance the user experience for logged-in members of your website.

Personalization plays a crucial role in creating a sense of belonging and engagement for users, and with the capabilities of Memberstack and the flexibility of Webflow, you can easily incorporate such dynamic features into your websites.

We encourage you to experiment with this feature by cloning the provided project and applying the learned concepts to your own live sites. Additionally, consider subscribing to our YouTube channel for more web development tips and tutorials. If you have specific hacks or features you'd like to learn about, feel free to submit your requests on our website.

Thank you for joining us on this journey of web development and user personalization with Memberstack and Webflow!