Universal login

[aladdin]

Hello,

I am working on a new "hack" actually not really an Indexu hack more a program which can be use by any program where user managment is a problem.
One login (username, password) allow your user to login several individual program, as it is it works with Indexu, phpBazar (classified), phpWebSite (news, comments, forum). By modifying the program you can make it work with more script (Perl or PHP) or different scripts.
Benefit:
1) Users have one login site wide regardless of how many section you have in your site
2) User can edit their info, the info are modify in every tables
3) Admin use the new program to manage users. If you ban, or modify user information the information are reflected site wide.
4) You do not need to modify or hack the programs you add in site, you redirect to the membership program.
If you do not want to use vBulletin or want to integrate new section to your site this mod might be for you.

[sissy]

Hello, Aladdin...

I think this tool is a GREAT idea! Especially if it can also be used to integrate with Perl & CGI programs in addition to PHP products. I'm currently implementing vBulletin 3.0 Beta 6 and planning to install vBPortal when it's available to support the official RC... and of course IndexU is also on my implementation list in the near future (Yes, I'm already licensed!) But in addition to those products, I've also licensed ImageFolio 3.1 Pro (Perl), WorldWide Messenger (Perl), Sigma Chat (Java) and several other Best of Breed products and I'd really LIKE to be able to integrate them all under a single registration umbrella. So far, my registration product of choice has been vB... but for the moment at least, that essentially excludes the Perl products.

So, heck YES, I'd buy such a product in a New York minute if it enabled me to convince my different applications to share a single common registered user database.

Keep me posted, please!

[craven]

That does sound great! Please keep us updated on your progress!

Craven

[aladdin]

Originally posted by sissy
Hello, Aladdin...

So, heck YES, I'd buy such a product in a New York minute if it enabled me to convince my different applications to share a single common registered user database.

Keep me posted, please!

Your program will keep working as they are, they will contiue to use their own native table ( all of them ).
As an excemple with my system Indexu continue to use idx_user BUT Indexu does not write on theis table any user information, the new "Membership" program does all the writing and editing on idx_users. This is why indexu does not need to be hack to use the Membership program.
Here is what is happening in sequence
1 User register (Membership write data on a its temporary table and on internal mirror table which miror the appropriate table on the third party tables you are using)
2 user receive an email to confirm regiistration
3 Upon clicking on the confirm registration link Membership write the data on ITS permanent table and the third party program tables.
I am not sure I am very clear, please ask question if you have any.
Note that the third party tables do not need to be on the same database, all the data you collect during registration do not need to be writen in every third party tables.

[aladdin]

Hello,

Yes it is almost ready, we are testing it.

Let me tell you how it works:

FEATURE:

1) The Member Management (I will call it MM)program will work with several third party programs.
2) The third party program can be either Perl or PHP
3) Your third party programs need to use MySQL as a backend database.
4) It can be customize to accommodate more programs.
5) It allows admin/user to manage member account. All change/editing made in MM are propagated to relevant third party tables.
6) Admin cans edit/delete/activate/deactivate account. The change will propagate to all relevant third party tables.
7) If admin deactivate account user will be unable to access his account in third party program but the account will continue to exist (no error page), user will receive and email stating that account has be deactivated and asking him to contact admin. The email address of deactivate account will be change to inactive@yourdomain.com . If like I am you are running a classified or auction section it will keep your deactivate user from doing business. You can then setup an auto-reply to email send to inactive@yourdomain.com
8) It is working with phpWebSite , PostNuke ( Portal with forum ), phpBazaar (classified), Indexu, Ultimate Auction. I will add a good news letter program, I do not think that the current Indexu newsletter is good enough if you have several thousand users (it time out for me) suggestion (GPL please)

What does it do and not do?

I have requested this program because I am running several distinct programs (4) and I did not wanted my user or myself to have to register/edit/delete their account 4 times. With this program, you do what ever you have to do once so do your users. The third party programs are not hack so you can upgrade them individually (if the relevant tables have not been change you are still good to go). You users have now access to all the section of your site with one login but this program does NOT manage individual cookie from each third party program (it could not be done without hacking them) they will still have to login as they access different section unless you setup your third party program to have permanent cookie (like you can do with phpBB or PostNuke).

How does it work.

You do not have to hack third party programs but you of course need to redirect users management to MM, most ISP provide this service. An example, with phpWebSite to register you have to go to user.php, after re-directing your user will go to http://YourDomain.com/membership/register.php. To edit their information they go to edit.php you will now redirect them to http://YourDomain.com/membership/login.php. For add security you can password protect the native script or delete it (I do I have been hack several time)

Should you have any request or require information about this new program please post it in this forum. Because of the nature of this hack I might start a site just for it, it is not really an Indexu hack but a self contain program which can be use for a wide variety of third party script.

[sissy]

Hello, Aladdin...

Well, it's now 12 days since your last post. DO you have anymore news to report on your new program yet? Have the tests been completed? Is it ready for release or at least for beta test yet? How much do you want in license fees for this utility?

I'm still interested and I'm still waiting!

Thanks
Sissy

[aladdin]

Hello,

For some reason my last posting has not register, I must have push the wrong button.
Anyway, yes it is working and I do use it. You can try/see it at:
www.e-gun.net/membership
Be nice to my site, it is live so just one test registration please and do let me know about it so I can delete the account when you are done. It is working with phpBazaar, Ultimate Auction, phpWebSite and Indexu.
Please let me know of any problem you may encounter.
NOTE: I just move the site to a new server, the domain may not have propagate to your ISP yet (some are very slow, mine is!!)

[aladdin]

Hello,

I have been playing around with my hack and I am very happy, it still needs some tune up but it is doing what it is suppose to do (more or less).
I the next few days I am planning to add phpList, a mailing list program (GPL) which allow the sendig of personalize message.
I may do a test site with Indexu, phpList (mailing list), Invision (BB), Noah's classifieds (general classified), and phpAuction, all this program are GPL and I think are a good complement to a directory.
You suggestioons and idea are welcome.

[X13-08]

I am very interested in your MM program, it sounds like a wonderful solution for the site I am working on. May I suggest adding the 4images gallery program (http://www.4homepages.de)? If it will manage the membership for 4images, indexu and phpbb(or invision) you can count on me as a customer.

[aladdin]

Hello,

Thank you for your posting;
1) Invision is out, it is now a subscription type of program and since I make no money wth my site!!
2) I was going to go with phpBB, any better choice?
3) I llooked at the program you are telling me about but it is in German. Please tell me is it a GPN program? Can I use it freely? What does it do?
4) WHat about PostNuke?

[X13-08]

1+2: Personally, phpBB is my favourite of the free BBSystems and is probably the most popular out there.

3: Yes, the 4homepages.de site is in German, but if you scroll down most of the pages have English translations and 4images has an English language patch. It is a free gallery system (commercial use must purchase a licence) loaded with features and is very customizable. I have tried and tested many gallery systems for my site and this is the only free one, using a MySQL database, that does everything I want. I do not speak any German and had no trouble downloading or installing it with my very basic skill level.

Here is their Licence:

Licence Agreement

NOTE: This is only a translation of the license agreement to give an overview in English language. If you use 4images you agree also to the German version of the licence agreement.

After reading this agreement carefully, if you do not agree to all of the terms of this agreement, you may not use this software.

This software is owned by Dots United, Schroko & Sorgalla GbR and is protected by national copyright laws and international copyright treaties.
4images may be used and modified free of charge for personal and non-profit use.

Commercial use must purchase a Licence.
Please visit our Online-Shop for ordering.

Selling or redistributing the code or parts of the code of 4images without prior written consent is expressly forbidden.

All copyright notices including the hyperlinks, and headers remain intact and unmodified in the source.
If you wish to remove the visible copyright notice you have to purchase a Copyright-Removal-Licence.

You are free to modify the code for your own personal use at your own risk.

THIS SOFTWARE AND THE ACCOMPANYING FILES ARE OFFERED "AS IS" AND WITHOUT WARRANTIES AS TO PERFORMANCE OR MERCHANTABILITY OR ANY OTHER WARRANTIES WHETHER EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED. NO WARRANTY OF FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE IS OFFERED.

The user assumes the entire risk of using the program.

From time to time, Dots United may inspect the adherence of this License Agreement. This will be done without collecting any information whatsoever about yourself, your server or your users. The only information verified will be the adherence of this License Agreement and the domain on which the software is run.
Should we discover discrepancies in the software usage, we are entitled to initiate appropriate steps.

By using 4images the first time, you agree with this terms of use.

4: I don't really like PostNuke. I see your MM program as a way to avoid using PostNuke in favor of better quality third party programs. It is actually my dislike of PostNuke which brought me to buy IndexU, I find the PostNuke modules tend to lack the features other programs can provide.

[sissy]

Dear Aladdin,

I took a close look at your site tonight and played a bit with your new membership integration product. Frankly, I was quite impressed. I can already see many uses for this program on my own site and would like to know what sort of price you're expecting to charge for this useful little tool. Also, I need to know how soon I may be able to get my hands on it as I'm still struggling with doing the integration the hard (hacked) way and would really like to not have to do any more of that!

I created an account on your site and then sent you a note so that you can delete me. But please be sure to save my email addy and feel free to respond to me directly in response to my questions.

Thanks very much. Great Job!! I look forward to hearing from you.

Best Professional Regards,
Sissy

[aladdin]

Hello,

Thank you for your suggestion and your support.
The application of my "Universal login" program go fare beyond Indexu but let me first answer some question.
1) Using $ImageGallery. Is there an alternative none commercial program? Did you look in Hotscripts.com?
2) How would I distribute the program? I think I will create a version where some significant files will be "encrypted" ($30.00) and a version with just a copyright note ($90.00). Does it seem to be fair?
The first version will allow you to work only with a predefine set of database, the second one will allow you to add as many database as convenient in as many of YOUR site as you want. Neither version will give you re-sale right, but both versions will allow you to change the look of the program.
Why am I so protective of my program? There is nothing similar available on any of the site repository I have visited, it is a truely original and unique software which can save countless hours of work to the Webmaster.
I am sorry, I am just getting way over my head, I do not want to loose what took so much time and effort. If you have done that in the past please give me some advises as to how to distribute my program.
Give me 1 week and I will be ready, the program is finish and works, some functionalities may need to be add to facilitate the migration but they are not necessary, just convenient.
Thank you for your understanding and your patience.

[sissy]

Dear Aladdin,

I'm definitely willing to pay the $90 license fee. That price seems fair to me. But I should warn you I'm concerned about how many webmasters will be able to integrate the product into their own sites as doing so will require knowledge of both PHP and/or Perl plus mySQL and html as well. In my experience this may be beyond the capabilities of 80% or more of the webmasters out there. In fact, one of my personal concerns is it may prove to be beyond my capabilities as well. We'll see, I guess!

To me, this suggests there is an opportunity / option for you to offer custom installation services for your product for something like 2 to 3 times the basic license fee. Since multiple products are likely to be involved, perhaps you should consider a basic installation fee of say $99 and then charge something like $25 - $50 per software product to be integrated.

At the very least, I hope you are planning to include step-by-step instructions as well as samples of implementations with several different software products so that it's easier for the webmaster who is installing this application to see what must be done and understand exactly how to do it. In my case, for example, I have both PHP and PERL apps that I will be integrating.

For some licensees, you may also want to consider offering a slightly higher price for a version that does NOT require the webmaster to reveal the source of the software. In most (but not all) cases, I've tended to choose the 'no copyright' notice option if it was available because I don't want to give up the results of all my research so easily. Adding an extra 20% or so to the license fee would be a good target for providing that option.

Just for the record here, I've spent my entire career (over 35 years) as a software professional and as a result, I'm pretty good at figuring out how to document programs to make them easier to install and use. I'm also pretty darned good at testing new software for bugs and at offering helpful suggestions that improve the product and increase its value to the user. I've also worked with several other independent software developers to help them decide what features should be included in their products. I'll be happy to work with you on that if I can find the time.

Frankly, the sooner I can get my hands on your new software, the better. Just tell me how to pay for it and I will be happy to do that. PayPal may be the easiest solution to that requirement. Since I do have many years of prior experience with this sort of project, please don't feel you must wait until it's perfect before you send it out to me. Keep in mind that you'll learn a great deal about what kind of documentation and support will be required for the program based on the problems encountered and the questions asked by your first few users.

Best Professional Regards,
Sissy

[aladdin]

Hello,

Thank you for your message and suggestion.
1) I was planing to offer the program as ready to work out of the box with a set of third party programs, of course the third party program database would have to exist. And default (editable) template will also exist.
2) If buyer is using one of the pre-existing suported programs no programming is necessary or required. One will of course need to know how to redirect but this function is available for most if not all Webmaster and is easy to use.
3) In most case one will not have to hack third party programms, directory structure and database remain un-change. "Universal login" just take over the fuction related to the account creation and management. If you use Indexu, idx_users will still exist, members data will still be use and update but "UL" do the work.l

At the very least, I hope you are planning to include step-by-step instructions as well as samples of implementations with several different software products so that it's easier for the webmaster who is installing this application to see what must be done and understand exactly how to do it. In my case, for example, I have both PHP and PERL apps that I will be integrating.

I think I did answer this question, UL will come with PostNuke, phpBazar, Indexu, phpWebsite, Ultimate Auction implementation and how to remove them.

To me, this suggests there is an opportunity / option for you to offer custom installation services for your product for something like 2 to 3 times the basic license fee. Since multiple products are likely to be involved, perhaps you should consider a basic installation fee of say $99 and then charge something like $25 - $50 per software product to be integrated.

Great idea

For some licensees, you may also want to consider offering a slightly higher price for a version that does NOT require the webmaster to reveal the source of the software. In most (but not all) cases, I've tended to choose the 'no copyright' notice option if it was available because I don't want to give up the results of all my research so easily. Adding an extra 20% or so to the license fee would be a good target for providing that option.

I should do that too, actually, I did not even think about puting a copyright and link

I did reply to your posting as to keep other Indexu users inform and maybe answer to some ot their question but I would appreciate if you can contact me at: tduguet@engraver.net so we can speak a little more. I would send you the program but I need to explain how to install it and how it work if I want you to be able to use it. I will do that tonight.