# Invalid characters in user\_name when receiving event notifications **URL:** \ **Category:** API and Webhooks\ **Created:** [October 2, 2019, 3:29pm UTC](https://devforum.zoom.us/t/invalid-characters-in-user-name-when-receiving-event-notifications/6123 "2019-10-02T15:29:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ps40](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a88e57/32.png) [@ps40](https://devforum.zoom.us/u/ps40)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2019, 3:29pm UTC](https://devforum.zoom.us/t/invalid-characters-in-user-name-when-receiving-event-notifications/6123/1 "2019-10-02T15:29:13Z")
Sometimes we see a large number of invalid characters in the user\_name field in the event notifications we receive from Zoom. This happens occasionally and is not easily reproducible. See a sample event notification below ( host\_id and account\_id intentionally Xed out): zoom event request: {“event”:“meeting.sharing\_started”,“payload”:{“object”:{“uuid”:“PQJnznlcTHWMByal4bv5PA==”,“participant”:{“id”:"",“user\_id”:“16778240”,“user\_name”:“Xiw\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000\u0000”,“sharing\_details”:{“link\_source”:"",“file\_link”:"",“source”:"",“date\_time”:“2019-09-26T22:08:09Z”,“content”:“application”}},“id”:“2753518025”,“type”:4,“topic”:“Rich’s Personal Meeting Room”,“host\_id”:“XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX”,“duration”:0,“start\_time”:“2019-09-26T22:03:26Z”,“timezone”:“America/Los\_Angeles”},“account\_id”:“XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX”}} Is this a known issue? ---
**Author:** ![ojus.zoom](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/devforum.zoom.us/ojus.zoom/32/734_2.png) [@ojus.zoom](https://devforum.zoom.us/u/ojus.zoom)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2019, 6:08pm UTC](https://devforum.zoom.us/t/invalid-characters-in-user-name-when-receiving-event-notifications/6123/2 "2019-10-02T18:08:07Z")
Hi @ps40, Happy to help, When making the above request, can you let us know what the “user\_name” was? Did it include any special characters? Thanks, Ojus ---
**Author:** ![ps40](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a88e57/32.png) [@ps40](https://devforum.zoom.us/u/ps40)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2019, 6:13pm UTC](https://devforum.zoom.us/t/invalid-characters-in-user-name-when-receiving-event-notifications/6123/3 "2019-10-02T18:13:54Z")
The username is Rich Sutton. There are no special characters in the name. Is it possible that Zoom reuses user\_ids? ---
**Author:** ![tommy](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/devforum.zoom.us/tommy/32/72769_2.png) [@tommy](https://devforum.zoom.us/u/tommy)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2019, 4:41pm UTC](https://devforum.zoom.us/t/invalid-characters-in-user-name-when-receiving-event-notifications/6123/4 "2019-10-04T16:41:37Z")
Hey @ps40, We will look into the logs and see why this is happening. JIRA: ZOOM-112804 It is odd that the `"id":""` is blank, it makes me think the user is not signed in who is sharing the screen. Thanks, Tommy ---
**Author:** ![ps40](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a88e57/32.png) [@ps40](https://devforum.zoom.us/u/ps40)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2019, 4:11pm UTC](https://devforum.zoom.us/t/invalid-characters-in-user-name-when-receiving-event-notifications/6123/6 "2019-10-08T16:11:48Z")
Can you please comment on the other issue also? We are seeing same ids being used for different ( non-logged in users). Does Zoom reuse user\_ids? ---
**Author:** ![tommy](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/devforum.zoom.us/tommy/32/72769_2.png) [@tommy](https://devforum.zoom.us/u/tommy)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2019, 4:21pm UTC](https://devforum.zoom.us/t/invalid-characters-in-user-name-when-receiving-event-notifications/6123/7 "2019-10-08T16:21:26Z")
Hey @ps40, For the [Meeting Sharing Started Webhook](https://marketplace.zoom.us/docs/api-reference/webhook-reference/meeting-events/meeting-sharing-started), the `user_id` is a unique participant identifier for a meeting instance. It is possible it can be reused in a new meeting. The `id` on the other hand, is unique to every Zoom user regardless of the meeting. ![48%20AM](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/uploads/zoomdeveloper/original/2X/6/6ac4420ffb857708f4369d3963142779c285c466.png) Let me know if that answers your question! 🙂 Thanks, Tommy ---
**Author:** ![ps40](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a88e57/32.png) [@ps40](https://devforum.zoom.us/u/ps40)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2019, 9:53pm UTC](https://devforum.zoom.us/t/invalid-characters-in-user-name-when-receiving-event-notifications/6123/8 "2019-10-11T21:53:43Z")
Hello, Could you please let me know if there is an update on this issue? Thanks ---
**Author:** ![tommy](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/devforum.zoom.us/tommy/32/72769_2.png) [@tommy](https://devforum.zoom.us/u/tommy)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2019, 11:30pm UTC](https://devforum.zoom.us/t/invalid-characters-in-user-name-when-receiving-event-notifications/6123/9 "2019-10-11T23:30:41Z")
Hey @ps40, We are still investigating and working on the issue. We are hoping to include a fix in one of our [next releases](https://marketplace.zoom.us/docs/changelog). Thanks for your patience, Tommy ---
**Author:** ![ps40](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a88e57/32.png) [@ps40](https://devforum.zoom.us/u/ps40)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2019, 10:06pm UTC](https://devforum.zoom.us/t/invalid-characters-in-user-name-when-receiving-event-notifications/6123/10 "2019-11-12T22:06:08Z")
Hello, We are again running into this issue. Can you guys try the following scenario? 1. Two participants in a call. One is logged in and one is not. 2. Screen sharing is started and ended and switched between participants multiple times 3. Around the 11th or 12th screen share the userid/username gets garbled. Here is a sample event notification received from Zoom: {“event”:“meeting.sharing\_started”,“payload”:{“object”:{“uuid”:“G5pnQ2WUQpmC4hxM7lsNOQ==”,“participant”:{“id”:“1:26:25:982,1,1|2019-11-12 21:26:22:066,0,-1|2019-”,“user\_id”:“16778240”,“user\_name”:“1,1|2019-11-12 21:26:32:696,0,-1|2019-11-12 “,“sharing\_details”:{“link\_source”:””,“file\_link”:"",“source”:"",“date\_time”:“2019-11-12T21:35:54Z”,“content”:“application”}},“id”:“529684634”,“type”:1,“topic”:“David Pfeiffer’s Zoom Meeting”,“host\_id”:“4RavDWRBT42BhDXPNDFlpA”,“duration”:808594994,“start\_time”:“2019-11-12T21:21:37Z”,“timezone”:""},“account\_id”:“35OVrJQuQOCWqKbk9Fq4Pg”}} I can provide our logs privately if it helps. Thanks Prashant ---
**Author:** ![tommy](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/devforum.zoom.us/tommy/32/72769_2.png) [@tommy](https://devforum.zoom.us/u/tommy)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2019, 11:15pm UTC](https://devforum.zoom.us/t/invalid-characters-in-user-name-when-receiving-event-notifications/6123/11 "2019-11-12T23:15:40Z")
Hey @ps40, Thanks for sharing this, I have sent it to our engineering team and we are looking into it! JIRA: ZOOM-112804 Thanks, Tommy