How to integrate user accounts

[linux1880]

Hi AO'ers

I have a website with forums, chat and email to the users. It is community website and people's are frustated cause they have to log in separately in all of them. I would like to know the method so that one username and password will allow them to log in all those feature.

Even guideline would be great help. Thank you.

[dinowuff]

I need just a little more info.

What web server are you using? What platform?

[cybermonk]

are ur forums, chat and email apps custom-written or u r using different packages. If they are custom written the u can easily merge authentication, otherwise ul have a difficult time getting them to respond to each others sessions.

[linux1880]

I am using unix, using hosting company. board is Iinvision power board.

[roswell1329]

Invision is a mysql driven BBS (as are most now). All you'd have to do is find the table storing member info, and start pulling your login data from that. If you have several applications that you're running, try to find the table that has the most amount of information in common with the other member tables, and see if you can't point those other applications to the one member table. That would make everything Sooooooo much easier.

[cybermonk]

but u'll have to use the same session management variables as the invision board if u r to get any thing to integrate

[roswell1329]

Very true, cybermonk. It would take some clever programming to seamlessly blend multiple applications in this fashion, but it can be done.

[cybermonk]

another idea though. It may be possible to find the session initalization functions for the different apps. that way u could write a centralized script that calls each one of those functions when logging in and logging out. I cant picture it being clean. But if u really want to do this, get ready for some real code digging.