Answers.Body: <p>The format of the display name and the sort name are configured at <em>Administer -> Customize Data and Screens -> Display Preferences</em>.  Check if this format is correct. (For example, the curly brackets must match).</p>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2017-05-09T08:35:12.160Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2017-05-09T08:35:12.160Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: Kainuk - CiviCooP
Body: <p>Every time a contact record is edited and then saved, the display name and sort name revert to "contact.first_name [Last name]". When you are in edit mode, the First name is still there (and other associated fields, such as email greeting all still display the contact's first name).</p>
  
  <p>I've updated CiviCRM to 4.7.18 - tis hasn't fixed anything. (This site has lots of events and I saw a couple of people reporting issues with events on the latest version so avoided 4.7.19).  </p>
  
  <p>I can save it using the phpMyAdmin UI but that's only temporary, until a user edits the same contact record again. </p>
  
  <p>Drupal 7.54</p>
  
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2017-05-09T07:13:38.093Z
Comments.Text: Hi Rose, the format of the display name and the sort name are configured at _Administer -> Customize Data and Screens -> Display Preferences_. What is shown there?
Comments.UserDisplayName: Kainuk - CiviCooP
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2017-05-09T08:30:40.193Z
Comments.Text: @Kainuk you are a genius! The first curly bracket was missing for both (Most likely caused by user error by a new user exploring the admin settings?)
Comments.UserDisplayName: Rose Lanigan
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2017-05-09T08:33:09.780Z
Comments.Text: Okay, I will combine these two in an answer.
Comments.UserDisplayName: Kainuk - CiviCooP
Tags: <contacts>
Title: Problems with display name/sort name saving as contact.first_name
ThreadText: # Problems with display name/sort name saving as contact.first_name
  
  (Asked by: username_0 on 2017-05-08)
  
  Every time a contact record is edited and then saved, the display name and sort name revert to "contact.first\_name [Last name]". When you are in edit mode, the First name is still there (and other associated fields, such as email greeting all still display the contact's first name).
  
  I've updated CiviCRM to 4.7.18 - tis hasn't fixed anything. (This site has lots of events and I saw a couple of people reporting issues with events on the latest version so avoided 4.7.19).
  
  I can save it using the phpMyAdmin UI but that's only temporary, until a user edits the same contact record again.
  
  Drupal 7.54
  
  **Tags:** contacts
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_1**: Hi Rose, the format of the display name and the sort name are configured at _Administer -> Customize Data and Screens -> Display Preferences_. What is shown there?  
  > **username_0**: @Kainuk you are a genius! The first curly bracket was missing for both (Most likely caused by user error by a new user exploring the admin settings?)  
  > **username_1**: Okay, I will combine these two in an answer.  
  
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  ## 1 answers
  
  ### Answer by username_1 on 2017-05-09. Score: 3 | Accepted answer
  
  The format of the display name and the sort name are configured at *Administer -> Customize Data and Screens -> Display Preferences*. Check if this format is correct. (For example, the curly brackets must match).
  
  
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