Most interactive websites nowadays would require a user to log in into the website's system in order to provide a customized experience for the user. Once the user has logged in, the website will be able to provide a presentation that is tailored to the user's preferences.
A basic login system typically contains 3 components:
1. The component that allows a user to register his preferred login id and password
2. The component that allows the system to verify and authenticate the user when he subsequently logs in
3. The component that sends the user's password to his registered email address if the user forgets his password
Such a system can be easily created using PHP and MySQL.
================================================================
Component 1 ? Registration
Component 1 is typically implemented using a simple HTML form that contains 3 fields and 2 buttons:
1. A preferred login id field
2. A preferred password field
3. A valid email address field
4. A Submit button
5. A Reset button
Assume that such a form is coded into a file named register.html. The following HTML code excerpt is a typical example. When the user has filled in all the fields, the register.php page is called when the user clicks on the Submit button.
[form name="register" method="post" action="register.php"]
[input name="login id" type="text" value="loginid" size="20"/][br]
[input name="password" type="text" value="password" size="20"/][br]
[input name="email" type="text" value="email" size="50"/][br]
[input type="submit" name="submit" value="submit"/]
[input type="reset" name="reset" value="reset"/] [/form]
The following code excerpt can be used as part of register.php to process the registration. It connects to the MySQL database and inserts a line of data into the table used to store the registration information.
@mysql_connect("localhost", "mysql_login", "mysql_pwd") or die("Cannot connect to DB!"); @mysql_select_db("tbl_login") or die("Cannot select DB!"); $sql="INSERT INTO login_tbl (loginid, password and email) VALUES (".$loginid.",".$password.",".$email.")"; $r = mysql_query($sql); if(!$r) {
$err=mysql_error();
print $err;
exit(); }
The code excerpt assumes that the MySQL table that is used to store the registration data is named tbl_login and contains 3 fields ? the loginid, password and email fields. The values of the $loginid, $password and $email variables are passed in from the form in register.html using the post method.
================================================================
Component 2 ? Verification and Authentication
A registered user will want to log into the system to access the functionality provided by the website. The user will have to provide his login id and password for the system to verify and authenticate.
This is typically done through a simple HTML form. This HTML form typically contains 2 fields and 2 buttons:
1. A login id field
2. A password field
3. A Submit button
4. A Reset button
Assume that such a form is coded into a file named authenticate.html. The following HTML code excerpt is a typical example. When the user has filled in all the fields, the authenticate.php page is called when the user clicks on the Submit button.
[form name="authenticate" method="post" action="authenticate.php"]
[input name="login id" type="text" value="loginid" size="20"/][br]
[input name="password" type="text" value="password" size="20"/][br]
[input type="submit" name="submit" value="submit"/]
[input type="reset" name="reset" value="reset"/] [/form]
The following code excerpt can be used as part of authenticate.php to process the login request. It connects to the MySQL database and queries the table used to store the registration information.
@mysql_connect("localhost", "mysql_login", "mysql_pwd") or die("Cannot connect to DB!"); @mysql_select_db("tbl_login") or die("Cannot select DB!"); $sql="SELECT loginid FROM login_tbl WHERE loginid='".$loginid."' and password='".$password."'"; $r = mysql_query($sql); if(!$r) {
$err=mysql_error();
print $err;
exit(); } if(mysql_affected_rows()==0){
print "no such login in the system. please try again.";
exit(); } else{
print "successfully logged into system.";
//proceed to perform website's functionality ? e.g. present information to the user }
As in component 1, the code excerpt assumes that the MySQL table that is used to store the registration data is named tbl_login and contains 3 fields ? the loginid, password and email fields. The values of the $loginid and $password variables are passed in from the form in authenticate.html using the post method.
================================================================
Component 3 ? Forgot Password
A registered user may forget his password to log into the website's system. In this case, the user will need to supply his loginid for the system to retrieve his password and send the password to the user's registered email address.
This is typically done through a simple HTML form. This HTML form typically contains 1 field and 2 buttons:
1. A login id field
2. A Submit button
3. A Reset button
Assume that such a form is coded into a file named forgot.html. The following HTML code excerpt is a typical example. When the user has filled in all the fields, the forgot.php page is called when the user clicks on the Submit button.
[form name="forgot" method="post" action="forgot.php"]
[input name="login id" type="text" value="loginid" size="20"/][br]
[input type="submit" name="submit" value="submit"/]
[input type="reset" name="reset" value="reset"/] [/form]
The following code excerpt can be used as part of forgot.php to process the login request. It connects to the MySQL database and queries the table used to store the registration information.
@mysql_connect("localhost", "mysql_login", "mysql_pwd") or die("Cannot connect to DB!"); @mysql_select_db("tbl_login") or die("Cannot select DB!"); $sql="SELECT password, email FROM login_tbl WHERE loginid='".$loginid."'"; $r = mysql_query($sql); if(!$r) {
$err=mysql_error();
print $err;
exit(); } if(mysql_affected_rows()==0){
print "no such login in the system. please try again.";
exit(); } else {
$row=mysql_fetch_array($r);
$password=$row["password"];
$email=$row["email"];
$subject="your password";
$header="from:you@yourdomain.com";
$content="your password is ".$password;
mail($email, $subject, $row, $header);
print "An email containing the password has been sent to you";
}
As in component 1, the code excerpt assumes that the MySQL table that is used to store the registration data is named tbl_login and contains 3 fields ? the loginid, password and email fields. The value of the $loginid variable is passed from the form in forgot.html using the post method.
================================================================
Conclusion
< p>The above example is to illustrate how a very basic login system can be implemented. The example can be enhanced to include password encryption and additional functionality ? e.g. to allow users to edit their login information.Used with the author's permission.
This article is written by John L.
John L is the Webmaster of designer banners (designer banners).
In the late 1990's three San Francisco based web developers... Read More
Are you aware that 90% of the websites on the... Read More
Every business needs to know how it is doing. That's... Read More
You have seen those web pages where they have the... Read More
Even though the Internet has been around for a long... Read More
Failure, just like success, is measured differently by each and... Read More
How popular is online shopping? And is there room for... Read More
See how you can create graphic effects on text with... Read More
You have permission to publish this article electronically, in print,... Read More
When used to describe a web site, the term "sticky"... Read More
A website is the most versatile and cost-effective marketing tool... Read More
Whether you have your own business already, or are looking... Read More
If your company own one or more stores, you might... Read More
Optimal website design is the art of logical navigation.It will... Read More
While studying online for IT investment opportunities, I found that... Read More
When you purchase a new item from a Yahoo! Store,... Read More
"'Page Not Found' on this Server. Check the URL and... Read More
Just starting out, you can start with a simple informational... Read More
Starting an internet business can be confusing to non-veterans. The... Read More
It never ceases to amaze me how many people set-up... Read More
D.zigns dzignerwebs The Basics Before starting on... Read More
Dan Kennedy once said that if you can't make money... Read More
If you're fairly new to the Internet scene, you may... Read More
QUESTION: Should I build and maintain my business Web... Read More
Part of the success of most home-based businesses is their... Read More
taxi o'hare Auburn ..That's right. Your method, behavior and strategy you are now... Read More
80% of your Web site is Maintenance!Once your Web site... Read More
We've all seen those messages on some websites warning not... Read More
When you publish a content site there are times when... Read More
An interesting eCommerce success factor that isn't precisely overlooked, but... Read More
Do you make your website just to entertain yourself or... Read More
There have been many significant changes to the face of... Read More
Q. Hey, Cathy: I'm just setting up a website. What... Read More
Today it seems everyone is jumping on the entrepreneur bandwagon,... Read More
If you're an up and coming graphic/web designer just out... Read More
Now that you have got your domain name registered, your... Read More
Research reveals three important facts:1) The Internet is one of... Read More
After having decided to start a business, the next thing... Read More
Better Web Site ROIHow to increase your business profitability by... Read More
Like most average persons, I wanted some extra money to... Read More
What do you mean, you don't have a website for... Read More
Launching a new small business website is often a long... Read More
1. Splash pagesMost of the time splash pages are uncalled... Read More
The popular search engine Google indexes over 8 billion websites.... Read More
Design and layout can make your communication come alive and... Read More
The DDA (Disability Discrimination Act) states that service providers must... Read More
While it may seem like a "quick and easy" task,... Read More
First, an eye opener. Making your fortune through affiliate programs... Read More
Cost Effective Advertising. Online selling. Increased geopgraphic range. Wider... Read More
Web sites are an Ongoing Part of Business.All too many... Read More
Web Development |