---
sidebar_label: 'Handling user accounts'
sidebar_position: 2
---

# Handling user accounts

When a new user account is registered in Future Ordering, the most common approach for integrating external loyalty systems is to create and maintain an internal representation of this account.
Any changes to the user account after registration should also be reflected in the external system. To achieve this, it is recommended to subscribe and react to some of the available user related events.

:::info
See the [event reference](/events) for a complete description of user related events.
:::

## Adding user accounts

Subscribe to the `user.created` or `user.logged_in` events to know when to add a user account to your loyalty system.
Use the [get user](/api#tag/Users/operation/get-user) endpoint to retrieve additional user data after receiving the event.

:::info
Before adding a user to your external loyalty system, make sure that the account is of a desirable account type and that it has not been deleted.
For more information, refer to the guides on [account types](../users/account-types) and [account deletion](../users/account-lifetime#account-deletion).
:::

## Updating user accounts

Subscribe to the `user.updated` and `user.communication_preferences.updated` events to know when to update the user's information and [communication preferences](#respecting-communication-preferences).
Use the [get user](/api#tag/Users/operation/get-user) and [get user communication preferences](/api#tag/Communication-Preferences/operation/652797ec494955f323831b7c) endpoints to retrieve additional user data after receiving the events.

## Removing user accounts

Subscribe to the `user.deletion_requested` event to know when to remove a user and their associated data from the external loyalty system.

:::warning
It is important that `user.deletion_requested` events are respected and that the affected user's personal data is properly removed from any external systems within a reasonable amount of time after the event has been received.

Continued storage of a user's personal data after account deletion has been requested might be in violation of local data protection or privacy regulations.
:::

## Respecting communication preferences

When communicating with the user outside of Future Ordering, make sure to respect the user's communication preferences. Refer to the guide on [user communication preferences](../users/communication-preferences) for more information.

## Age requirements

It is common for loyalty systems or regulation to impose requirements on a user's age before enabling loyalty functionality. For these purposes, Future Ordering supports enabling a required `birthdate` field for registered users.

:::info
For more information on the birthdate field, please contact [support@futureordering.com](mailto:support@futureordering.com).
:::

## Example: External loyalty system integration

The following diagram describes the user account handling processes when integrating an external loyalty system and exemplifies some of the interactions between systems:

```mermaid
sequenceDiagram
    actor user as User
    participant fo as Future Ordering
    participant loyint as Loyalty Integration 
    participant loy as Loyalty System 

    user ->> fo: Create user
    fo->>loyint: (Event) user.created
    loyint-->>fo: 202 Accepted
    loyint->>loyint: Process event
    loyint->>fo: Get user information + communication preferences
    loyint->>loy: Create user in loyalty system

    note over user: Alternative: React on user log in event to create user 
    user ->> fo: User logged in
    fo->>loyint: (Event) user.logged_in
    loyint-->>fo: 202 Accepted
    loyint->>loyint: Process event
    loyint->>fo: Get user information 
    loyint->>fo: Get user communication preferences
    loyint->>loy: Create user in loyalty system

    note over user: User information updated
    user ->> fo: User information updated
    fo->>loyint: (Event) user.updated
    loyint-->>fo: 202 Accepted
    loyint->>loyint: Process event
    loyint->>fo: Get user information
    loyint->>loy: Update user information in loyalty system

    note over user: User communication preferences updated
    user ->> fo: User updated communication preferences
    fo->>loyint: (Event) user.communication_preferences.updated
    loyint-->>fo: 202 Accepted
    loyint->>loyint: Process event
    loyint->>fo: Get user communication preferences
    loyint->>loy: Update user communication preferences in loyalty system

    note over user: User is ending the account - user can not longer login, FO deletes personal data after x days.
    user ->> fo: User ends the account
    fo->>loyint: (Event) user.deletion_requested
    loyint-->>fo: 202 Accepted
    loyint->>loyint: Process event
    loyint->>loy: Delete user in loyalty system
```