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).
So what do you do if need to get a... Read More
In this example I have used the map of the... Read More
Running an effective website is a continuous process. I have... Read More
"If you build it, they will come"; is an age... Read More
Your site is getting traffic, but conversion rates are horrible.... Read More
There are many different traffic analysis tools, ranging from simple... Read More
"What's in it for me?" you ask. "Why should I... Read More
A website is like an information flow, with you as... Read More
We all start out the same. Some have budgets, some... Read More
Succeeding with an eCommerce website is a dream for many... Read More
After deciding what kind of internet business you want to... Read More
Building a new website can be a lengthy task. From... Read More
Before you set up any scripts you will need some... Read More
1) A marketing necessityI still hear it said from time... Read More
What to do if you are an artist after you... Read More
1. Many people are not getting good or complete advice.... Read More
If you are like me you have wanted to build... Read More
After years of working with entrepreneurs who developed their first... Read More
Many executives and investors are skeptical that software products can... Read More
There are hundreds of millions of Web surfers today. Each... Read More
A while ago one of my clients approached me and... Read More
Analyzing traffic to a site is a key factor in... Read More
Web templates by nature are created to aid and ease... Read More
No matter the size of your business, having a web... Read More
Visitors to your site come looking for information or solutions... Read More
high-end home cleaning Highland Park ..Creatively marketing your corporate site takes time in the set... Read More
When you take a look at the most visited sites... Read More
A website is like an information flow, with you as... Read More
August 8 2005, Macromedia announced a release of Studio 8.... Read More
Your business website is a critical aspect of being able... Read More
While creating a Web site may seem like... Read More
With search engines putting a damper on direct reciprocal links,... Read More
Mini Websites are the most powerful and cost effective solution... Read More
Most interactive websites nowadays require data to be presented dynamically... Read More
In 1995 a new era of accessibility for disabled people... Read More
What is the most important part of your online business?Many... Read More
Web templates by nature are created to aid and ease... Read More
The first thing you will have to deal building your... Read More
Have you ever wondered what challenges are faced by other... Read More
Are bloated images slowing down your web site and causing... Read More
So you want to take a look at a real... Read More
In about the Time it takes to Watch a Reality... Read More
Psychology is a long word which everyone thinks, "no, that's... Read More
A while ago one of my clients approached me and... Read More
When most people build a web site, they think one... Read More
The Internet has opened a whole New World of opportunity... Read More
Even though the Internet has been around for a long... Read More
We all start out the same. Some have budgets, some... Read More
If you're anything like most small business owners, you probably... Read More
First, using a lot of web graphics, flash, banners and... Read More
Web Development |