if have_posts … else

hi

i’m working on an author profile page, where i’d like to include the author name, description, and (links to) their posts.

i have an author.php page with:

<?php
if(isset($_GET['author_name'])) :
$curauth = get_userdatabylogin($author_name);
else :
$curauth = get_userdata($author);
endif;
?>
.
.author name, author description
.
<!-- The Loop -->
<?php if ( have_posts() ) : ?>
<?php while ( have_posts() ) : the_post(); ?>
<li>
<a href="<?php the_permalink() ?>" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent Link: <?php the_title(); ?>">
<?php the_title(); ?></a>,
<?php the_time('d M Y'); ?> in <?php the_category('&');?>
</li>
<?php endwhile; ?>
<?php else: ?>
<h2 class="center">Nope</h2>
<?php endif; ?>
<!-- End Loop -->

this works fine when the user has posted stuff, but when they haven’t it displays the ‘Not found…’ i.e. the comment i have in my else statement on my index.php.

any one know why it doesn’t display the user profile, followed by a ‘nope’?

thanks in advance,

b9