Simple and Effective PHP Log-In Page
While putting the finishing touches on PayPal e-commerce
software for our own products, I realized it would need a
log-in page.
My intent had been to put the software's control
panel/dashboard into a password protected directory.
But that wasn't going to work this time, I realized.
A quick to implement log-in page was needed.
Because the e-commerce software was built with it, PHP was
used for the entire system. Here is how it was done.
First, a PHP log-in page was designed.
The Log-In Page
The username and password are embedded in the PHP page in a
way that makes it invisible to the browser. This eliminates
any need for external files.
A cookie name, the number of hours the cookie shall last,
and the URL of the dashboard software are also specified in
the PHP code.
Here is the complete log-in PHP page:
When the log-in form is submitted with the correct username
and password, a cookie is set and the browser is redirected
to the URL of the control panel/dashboard page. Both
username and password are case sensitive.
The Control Panel/Dashboard Page
Eighteen lines of log-in verification code are put at the top
of the file — the file in the URL in the browser's address
bar when the control panel/dashboard is loaded. For this
system, the control panel/dashboard must be a PHP page.
Here is an example dashboard web page with the eighteen
lines of log-in verification code:
The cookie name must be specified in the control
panel/dashboard page file identical to the cookie name
in the log-in page file. Otherwise, the cookie will never
authenticate.
When the log-in cookie is set, the value is set to be the
word, "good". When logged out, the value is set as "0". To
authenticate, the value must be "good".
In addition to the cookie name, the log-in page URL and the
log out "thank you" page URL (where the browser is
redirected to upon log-out) are also specified in the
dashboard PHP file.
When a browser loads the control panel/dashboard, the PHP
authenticates the cookie. If it does not authenticate, the
browser is redirected to the log-in page.
When the "Log-out" link is clicked, the browser is
redirected to the log-out "thank you" page URL. A logged
out cookie will be discarded completely when the browser
is exited.
The Complete PHP Log-In System
Less than 3 dozen lines of PHP code are required for this
PHP log-in page system.
About half of them are used on the log-in page. The other
half on the control panel/dashboard page, the page that
requires authentication before access is allowed.
The two work together by using the same cookie name for
authentication.
No external files are required for the system to work,
username and password being hard coded into the PHP itself.
To change the username or the password requires access to
your server and the permissions sufficient to modify files.
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Will Bontrager
©2008 Bontrager Connection, LLC
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