Login/Logout Feature

[Craig]

The board now requires a login each time you come to the board. The password expires at the end of each browser session and you have the ability to logout and delete the cookie with your password by clicking on the "logout" link.

Let me know what you think.

Cheers,
Craig

Webmaster - Fencing.Net

[neevel]

Sent you an email about this, too, but I can't get in with Netscape-- it just bounces me back to the login page. BTW, I'm using cookie management software (Cookie Pal) with Netscape-- I've got it set to auto-accept cookies from this site, so that shouldn't be a problem. IE5 works.

Take it down 'till you get it working with Netscape-- I'd recommend grabbing a copy of Opera and testing it with that, too.

-Dave

[neevel]

As a follow-up: I just installed a more up-to-date version of Netscape (4.73-- I'm not mucking about with 6.0) and disabled my cookie manager. I'm still getting bounced back to the login screen when I try to login.
The URL bar shows:

.../login.cgi?action=forcelogout

when it bounces me.

-Dave

[damianip]

Dave, Craig,

Just tried it with Opera 5 on Win98. Works OK.

Netscape 4.7 and 6.0 on Win 98 bounce back.

IE 5.0 on Win 98 is fine.

I'll try my other OSes shortly.

Paolo

[damianip]

OS/Browser tests.

Win95 and Netscape 4.0: bounced
Win95 and Opera 3.62 OK
BEOS 5 and Opera 3.62 OK but weird looking
BEOS and NetPositive (a very popular combo): OK
WinNT4.0 and Netscape 3.0: A big mess, didn't even bounce
WinNT 4.0 and Opera 3.10: OK
WinNt 4.0 and IE 5.0 and 4.0: OK

Linux Box not running at the moment.

Paolo

[This message has been edited by damianip (edited 01-09-2001).]

[epeetaph]

I would like it...but HELP! I can't ever remember my password, and I keep having to go back to my email, find what my password is, copy and paste it to the password section, and THEN go it...ah.

[neevel]

Craig--

For adding new features to the UBB system for this site, you might consider first setting them up on a separate 'test page' and then asking folks to visit that page and see if it works. You can then put them up on the main page once folks have found all the kinks and they've been worked out.


-Dave

[Craig]

David,

Thanks for the feedback. I'll do more testing on platforms before putting these features live.

That's what I get for trusting the documentation that came with the program...

David - do you have cookies enabled for the entire "fencing.net" domain or for a specific URL? (That's the only thing I can think of. This is a perl script and shouldn't care what the browser is...)

Cheers,
Craig

[HilandDoug]

Couldn't remember my password at first! I hope it prevents things happening like happened to poor Susan. Good thing she didn't see what some idiot wrote under her name! If we can eliminate that kind of thing, I'm all for it!

Paolo, how do you llike BEOS? And what do you use it for? I've seen it and I follow the stock, but have no use for it that I know of.

[neevel]

Craig--

I've got them enabled for the whole site.

I was doing some thinking on the general way of handling the login. One of the key purposes of this site to my mind is to provide an easy, accessible intro for novices. It strikes me that having to go through the login screen just to lurk and read the board, even with the availability of a guest login, makes the board seem a bit less accessible to casual browsers. Perhaps you could not have the login screen pop up until someone actually posts a message or enters their private message box. I don't know much about the workings of UBB server software, but would it be possible to set a second, separate cookie just for a user's password? That way, you could still keep the info needed for the new-message flags and such in a persistent cookie, but require a login with password the first time in a session you post. Another possibility, since everyone will need to remember their password anyway, is to just not store the password at all and require it to be typed in each time you post-- I certainly wouldn't consider it an inconvenience to do that.

At the very least, I'd make the login/intro screen a little friendlier looking-- you can go take a look at the discussion forums at SwordForum for some good examples of friendly, inviting 'gateway' pages to the BBS pages.

-Dave

[Craig]

This one doesn't mess with the original cookie. I've tested it out with Netscape and IE and it seems to work fine.

Now, you don't have to log in to view the forums and your password will be saved if you don't logout. If you're using someone else's computer, or a public computer, click on the "logout" link to delete the password from the cookie.

Craig

[Bugaboo]

On Tuesday, the program was bouncing me back to the login page over and over again.
On Wednesday, everything is dandy again. Thanks.

[*~susan~*]

Yeah Doug,
that was pretty embarrasing!!! (especially when you dont know what's going on!)

But Craig,
I'm still a little worried about siging on, so can you make a post when everything is a-ok?!?! because I have netscape and if i'm not mistaken, that WAS one of the programs that were still having a slight problem.
*~susan~*

[Craig]

It's fine. Just use the "logout" link when you're done or go to the "preferences" link and delete all your fencing.net cookies.

Cheers,
Craig