Support Center

Every Malet, Organization, and User on Mallnline has a unique handle — a short, memorable identifier that works like a nameplate on a mall directory. Handles are always displayed with a sigil prefix that tells you what kind of entity you're looking at.

What Is a Sigil?

A sigil is the prefix character(s) that appear before a handle. Mallnline uses the pipe character | as its signature glyph — a vertical line that acts like a doorway or threshold. When you see m|luminara-crafts, you're stepping through the pipe into a Malet.

Mallnline's Handle System operates on a dual-mode principle: pipe sigils (m|, o|, v|) for Mallnline-iconic identity, and the universal @ sigil for cross-platform recognition. You can type either — the platform recognizes both.

Pipe Sigils (Mallnline-Iconic)

Sigil What It Means Example
m| A Malet (Mall Outlet) m|luminara-crafts
o| An Organization o|acme-corp
v| A Visitor (User) v|meekdenzo
r| A Malet Representative (staff) r|sarah-luminara
u| A Mallnline u-Product u|chat, u|cart

Universal Sigils (Cross-Platform)

Sigil What It Means Example
@ A User or Organization @meekdenzo, @acme-corp

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Both forms resolve to the same place. @meekdenzo and v|meekdenzo take you to the same profile. Use @ when sharing handles outside Mallnline (in emails, social media). Use pipe sigils (v|, o|) within the platform for the full Mallnline experience.

Where You'll See Handles

Handles appear throughout the Virtual Mall to help you identify and navigate:

  • Malet Headers: Displayed below the Malet name on every storefront (e.g., m|luminara-crafts).
  • The Lobby: Every Malet card shows its handle for quick reference.
  • Your Profile: Your @handle is shown on your profile card, settings, and anywhere you interact.
  • User Menu: When you've claimed a handle, your @handle appears directly below your name in the user menu dropdown — always visible with a single click on your avatar.
  • uChat Messenger: Handles identify participants — v|sarah is a regular Visitor, r|sarah-luminara is a staff member of m|luminara-crafts.
  • Search Results: Searching for m|luminara or @meekdenzo takes you directly to that entity. The search bar also supports sigil-aware search — when you type a sigil prefix, results are automatically filtered to that entity type.
  • Community Content: Handles auto-link in reviews, discussions, blog comments, and product descriptions.
  • Section Pages: Malet cards in mall sections display their handles.
  • Organization Dashboards: Org Malets show their handles alongside management controls.

Your Personal Handle

Every user can claim a unique personal handle. Your handle becomes your identity across the Virtual Mall — it's how other Visitors, Malet Owners, and Organizations recognize you.

Once claimed, your handle works in dual mode:

@meekdenzo       → mallnline.com/u/meekdenzo            (universal)
v|meekdenzo      → mallnline.com/u/meekdenzo            (iconic)

Claiming Your Handle

  1. Go to Settings → Profile
  2. Click Claim next to the Handle field
  3. Type your desired handle — the platform checks availability in real-time
  4. Click Claim Handle when you see the ✓

Your handle must be:

  • Unique across all users, Malets, and Organizations (global namespace)
  • 2-30 characters long
  • Lowercase letters, numbers, and hyphens only
  • Cannot start or end with a hyphen

IMPORTANT

Handles share a global namespace — if m|alpha is taken by a Malet, you cannot claim @alpha as your user handle. This prevents confusion in search and mentions.

Changing Your Handle

You can change your handle, but changes are limited to once every 30 days. After changing, your previous handle is recorded in your handle history. A countdown timer in Settings shows when you can change again.

NOTE

Your old handle becomes available for others to claim immediately after you change it. Plan accordingly.

Handle Claim Banner

If you're signed in and haven't claimed a handle yet, you'll see a gentle "Claim your @handle" banner on the Lobby and your Profile page. This is a friendly reminder that claiming a handle:

  • Makes you discoverable by other Visitors and Malet Owners
  • Gives you a memorable identity across uChat, reviews, and community discussions
  • Unlocks the full Mallnline social experience

You can dismiss the banner by clicking the ✕ button. It will stay hidden for 7 days before appearing again, giving you space without losing the reminder entirely.

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Ready to claim? Click the "Claim Now" button on the banner — it takes you straight to your Settings profile section where you can pick your handle.

Malet Reps (`r|`)

When a Malet Owner assigns staff to handle customer interactions, those representatives appear in uChat, reviews, and community discussions with a special sigil. The r| prefix distinguishes them from regular Visitors:

In uChat:
  v|sarah            ← Regular Visitor
  r|sarah-luminara   ← Staff member of m|luminara-crafts

The r| sigil signals "this person speaks for a Malet" — similar to moderator badges on other platforms. The handle format r|{name}-{malethandle} ties the rep to their Malet.

Direct Navigation

You can use handles as shortcuts to navigate directly to any entity. Just type the handle into your browser's address bar:

mallnline.com/luminara-crafts            → Opens the Luminara Crafts Malet
mallnline.com/orgs/acme-corp             → Opens the Acme Corp Organization
mallnline.com/u/meekdenzo                → Opens meekdenzo's public profile

Sigils can also reference specific items within a Malet using path segments:

Handle + Path Opens
m|luminara/p/handmade-candle A specific product
m|luminara/s/1hr-consultation A specific service
m|luminara/blog/my-first-post A blog post

NOTE

You don't need to include the sigil prefix in the URL — just the handle itself. The sigil is for display and recognition, not for web addresses.

Mallnline's search bar recognizes sigil prefixes and automatically filters results by entity type. Instead of scrolling through a mix of products, blogs, and Malets, you can narrow your search to a specific kind of entity right from the keyboard.

What You Type What Happens
m|lum Searches for Malets matching "lum" — great for finding a specific outlet
@mee Searches for Users matching "mee" — find people on the platform
o|acme Searches for Organizations matching "acme"

The sigil-aware search works in the search bar autocomplete dropdown (the Island). When you type a sigil prefix, the suggestion section dynamically changes its label — from the default "Blogs & More" to entity-specific labels like "Malets", "Users", or "Organizations."

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You can combine this with the Sigil Normalizer — type m/luminara on mobile, and the search bar will auto-correct it to m|luminara and filter for Malets, all in one step.

Mentions & Notifications

When you mention someone using their sigil in public content — uChat messages, reviews, community discussions, or blog comments — the referenced entity receives a notification:

Mention Who Gets Notified
m|luminara in a review Owner(s) of the Luminara Malet
@meekdenzo in uChat User meekdenzo
r|sarah-luminara in a discussion Staff member Sarah of Luminara

NOTE

Mentions in end-to-end encrypted (E2EE) uChat messages do not trigger notifications — the server cannot read encrypted messages. Sigils are still linkified client-side for your convenience, but no notification is dispatched.

Typing Handles on Mobile

The pipe | character can be tricky to find on mobile keyboards — it's usually buried behind the numbers and symbols layers. Don't worry — Mallnline's Sigil Normalizer has you covered.

You can type any of these easier characters instead, and the platform will automatically correct them:

You Type Mallnline Corrects To
m/luminara m|luminara
m:luminara m|luminara
m.luminara m|luminara

This works for all pipe sigils — o/, o:, v/, v:, r/, r:, etc. The auto-correction happens:

  • As you type in uChat, search, and community text fields
  • On paste when text containing shorthand forms is pasted
  • On display — the platform always shows the canonical m|handle form

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On most mobile keyboards, the forward slash / is the easiest substitute — it's usually on the primary symbols page. Just type m/ followed by the handle name.

NOTE

The normalizer is smart about avoiding false corrections. If you type something that looks like an email address (e.g., m.co@gmail.com) or a domain (e.g., m.co.uk), Mallnline will recognize the pattern and not convert it. Only inputs that look like genuine handle references are corrected.

Choosing Your Malet Handle

When you create a Malet, you'll choose a handle during the setup process. Your handle:

  • Must be unique across the entire Virtual Mall
  • Can contain lowercase letters, numbers, and hyphens only
  • Is limited to 30 characters
  • Will be auto-generated from your Malet's name, but you can customize it
  • Cannot be changed after creation (choose wisely!)

The handle input field shows a real-time availability check — a ✓ means it's available, and ✗ means someone else already claimed it.

IMPORTANT

Your handle becomes part of your Malet's permanent web address (mallnline.com/your-handle) and is how Visitors will reference your Malet across the platform. Pick something memorable and brand-appropriate.

Why the Pipe `|`?

You might wonder why Mallnline uses the pipe character instead of something more common like / or #. The pipe serves as a visual threshold — like a doorway in a physical mall:

  • m|luminara-crafts → "Step through this entrance into Luminara Crafts"
  • o|acme-corp → "Step through this entrance into the Acme Corp Organization"
  • v|meekdenzo → "Step through this entrance into meekdenzo's profile"

It's Mallnline's distinctive glyph — instantly recognizable and uniquely ours. While other platforms use @, #, or r/, Mallnline uses | to reinforce the Virtual Mall experience.

The @ universal sigil exists alongside the pipe system because people are universal — @meekdenzo is instantly understood anywhere on the internet, while v|meekdenzo is unmistakably Mallnline.