Developing a User Login System

When developing dynamic web sites, it is often necessary to provide some kind of user login (authentication) to make certain parts of the site available only to registered users of that site. Many sites have 'members only' areas, for example, access to a forum is often protected. Getting visitors to register can also be a good way of building up a community of users who return to your site on a regular basis, but your content needs to be good enough to keep them coming back.

A typical user login system will allow users to:

• Register
• Log in
• Request a new password if they forget their current one
• Change their login details (their user profile)
• Log out

Registration Process

From the home page, visitors to the web site should have the opportunity to register with the web site. The registration process would typically involve recording an email address, name, and a password (which normally has to be entered twice to verify that it has not been mistyped during the registration process). These details are then checked against existing database records to make sure that the user has not already registered. If no database match is found, the new user is created.

Logging On Process and Accessing Web Pages

The web site needs to allow a registered user to log on to the site. This will typically require the user entering a valid email and password combination. Once logged on, the user will be able to move around the site without being prompted to re-enter their login details. Allowing users to move around a site in this manner is normally achieved by using cookies or other session variables.

A 'remember me' check box is often provided on the login screen, which will allow the user to return to the web site without needing to re-enter their login details. This will normally be achieved by using permanent cookies as opposed to session cookies. Permanent cookies are cookies that are set to expire at some date in the future, for example, 31 December 2030, whereas session cookies will only last for the duration of the current browser session.

Requesting a New Password

If the user forgets his/her password, the user login system will normally be able to generate a new one and email it to the email address associated with that user.

Changing a User's Profile

A user should also be able to update his/her profile, for example, email address, name, and password.

Logging Out

Finally, the login system should allow a user to log out, which should clear any cookies or session variables that have been set.