brandon.dixon [brandondixon]

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I would like to commit and maintain a user directory module within Drupal. As of now I host an unofficial version of the module on my site and over the past few months it has been downloaded about 50 times. Though this is a relatively small number, it does show a need for such a module within the Drupal spaces. I understand reviewing these modules and applications takes a good deal of time and effort, but if you were to decline my module could you please provide a reason or way I could change it.

My goal is not to become famous or pick up any attention for the module, but instead provide it through Drupal.org rather than my own personal site. I am a security engineer and I am very weary about code that is not hosted in some sort of official repository especially if I am going to use it at a company. Having the module hosted at Drupal.org would have the module potentially downloaded more since it is from a trusted resource.

== SUMMARY ==
The initial motivation for the module was to address the lack of modules to display information in a way that my client required. This module takes a list of usernames from the Drupal database (assumes certain characteristics) and sorts them into a collapsible tree structure for easy viewing. The primary use case for this module has been for companies using Drupal as a portal for their employees. The tree structure allows for quick navigation to an individuals user profile or a quick view into the companies employees list.

== IN NEED ==
My client uses Drupal as its primary Intranet portal. All employees are given access to this portal and can use their LDAP credentials to sign in. Once signed in the user can use the various features Drupal offers. My client needed an easy way to drill down into the employee list so that they could then view the respective profiles. The primary reason for this searching capability was to have new employees become familiar with the organization. A search module provided similar capabilities (you could search for a person), but it was not dedicated to a page and did not allow rapid results. This module was developed to address this companies needs, but it has been written in such a way that it could be expanded to further include more organizational modifications as the needs become evident.

== WHY CUSTOM ==
I initially tried to find am module that would allow me to see my entire user database in a tree structure. Several COTS portals provided such a feature and I though Drupal would be the same. Searching did not show any module that used the tree structure to display the users. I think this is partially because the primary use case for such a module would be within the corporate environment (personal sites do not often force users to standardize on their username format whereas corporate policy typically dictates how a username will look). After searching and finding nothing that would fit my needs I decided to throw together a module.

== DUPLICATIONS ==
As far as I know this module does not really duplicate any Drupal functionality. As stated above, there is a search modification module that allows you to search for user profiles, but this is not a rapid and easy way to present the data to a user (potentially an employee starting on their first day). I also know there is a user list page where Drupal will allow you to list all the user profiles on a single page. This works, but does not sort the usernames, nor account for custom profile modifications that may be in place.

== LIMITATIONS ==
The module was written to address the needs of a specific customer. This is not an issue, but there is a limiting aspect in how the user names are listed/sorted within the module. As of now it is assumed that the username will be in the format of "FirstName.LastName". This may not be the case for every organization and therefore the module may not be applicable to a large audience. However, with feedback, various other sorting options can be added to the module and access to switch between them can easily be added within the administrator page.

== INFLUENCING ==
Though Drupal is open source, you can clearly see it's presence within the commercial and government spaces. I can not be certain of how many users use Drupal as their Intranet portal, but I can say I have seen it before. I have used several portal implementations and they all provide a tree/sorted method of searching through employees that work for the company. I think Drupal should have a feature like this so that users looking for that same setup can do so by using Drupal.