Simple vB User login and access control on non vB pages
 

Hack Description

This is a cutdown version of the user authentication and access control system I use on the non vB pages on my website.

This uses the vB 3.5 login system to log you in and out. It allows you to move between your forums and other pages on your site while remaining logged in.

It allows you to do things such as restrict pages by usergroup, display different content depending on a user being logged in or not.
For example, you can have banner Adds displying to non members only, and/or let members access to specific content.

Ive cut it down to the bare minimum that it needs to work, no fancy stuff such as avatars, PM's, or even formating.

I will try and offer support, but work and family commitments mean I dont have much free time.

This code is a mix of my own, and pieces I have used from other hacks that are floating around.

This script has been confirmed as working on

• vB 3.5.x - All Versions

Changelog

Version 1.30 (24th April 2007)

• Fixed - // in paths bug
• Fixed - Javascript warning in some browsers
• Fixed - Tidied up some code

Version 1.20 (2nd December 2006)

• Fixed Logout incorrect path bug
• Made change to reduce compatibility problems with foreign scripts

Version 1.10 (4th Feb 2006)

• Changed login_inc.php so you only need to edit path in one place now.
• Added more commenting to login_inc.php
• Added usage instructions to instructions file
• Added troubleshooting guide with all common problems and fixes to instructions file.

Note: It is NOT necessary to update from 1.0 to 1.10.
There is no functionality changes or bug fixes between these 2 releases.

Version 1.0 (17th November 2005)

• Initial Release

Deluxe Version of this hack is now available
Has Avatars, PM's, Number of Posts etc.

Click Here


Click on Install
If you have this script installed then please click on the install link because;

• You will get notified if any security issues are reported.
• You will get notified when there are any upgrades to this script
• It gives me a warm fuzzy feeling and motivates me to develop more :)

Donations
First of all, to be clear. This script is 100% free.

However if you feel an urge to donate I'm not going to say no. :)
Donations can be made at http://www.billspaintball.com/vb3/bd_donate.php

Edit: This usage and trouble shooting guide has been updated as of 24th of April 2007


Usage

The hack is pretty useless without some usage instructions so here they are.

We can use conditionals to hide or display depending on a number of things such as
Logged in or out status,
or restrict to members of a specific usergroup.

We do this by using conditionals in php tags where the normal content of a webpage would go.


If you want something only accessable to a certain usergroup, use this code in your webpage. This example is only visible to members of usergroup 6.
You can use a simple variation of this to restrict entire pages to a certain usergroup.
For example,
You can of course use multiple usergroups by just modifiying the if statement a little.
For example:

Another use is to display different content to users depending on if they are logged in or not. For example
Another use is to restrict advertising to people who are not logged in.
For example
Of course you can play around with conditionals to do a whole range of things, these are just brief example snippets.



Troubleshooting

If your reading this chances are you are having problems.

Here are some common causes and fixes.

1. Headers already sent or cookies already sent errors. Chances are that there is something, even just a space before the 4 lines of code in part 1. Edit this and ensure that there are no spaces before it.
   
   
   
2. Path problems are the next biggest problem. Your paths must be exact else it will not work. Double check that all paths are correct.
   If you are unsure what the path is place the following code in a page all by itself.
   
   PHP Code:

   ---

   <?php 
echo getcwd(); 
?>

   ---

   Name this file something like path.php then upload it to your website, browse to it and it will show you the exact path to your sites root.
   
   
   
3. Appears to login ok, but wont show you as logged in
   Often caused by the vB cookie path setting.
   To fix log into you vB admin area;
   
   Code:

   ---

   AdminCP -> vBulletin Options -> Cookies and HTTP Header Options -> Path to Save Cookies

Change

'Suggested Settings' dropdown from '/forums/' to '/' or 'yourdomain.com'

   ---

   
   
4. Subdomains and cross site logins
   This is a known issue with many scripts (not just this one), sometimes fixable sometimes not. Its caused by vB, PHP and your hosts security measures.
   
   First change your "cookie domain" settings.
   vB Admin > Control Panel > Cookies and HTTP Header Options > Cookie Domain
   Change it from being blank to
   
   PHP Code:

   ---

   .yourdomain.com 


   ---

   You may need to set a post referrer in your whitelist.
   vB Admin > Control Panel > General Settings > Post Referrer Whitelist
   Instructions on what to enter are listed where you change this setting.
   
   That should fix it if your forum is a subdomain.
   
   If that fails then,
   Open your /forum/login.php file and look for this code:
   
   PHP Code:

   ---

   error_reporting(E_ALL & ~E_NOTICE); 


   ---

   Below that add
   
   PHP Code:

   ---

   define('SKIP_REFERRER_CHECK', true); 


   ---

   Now save this and overwrite the file on the server with this one.
   
   A further reported work around is to make a copy of the required Forum Forum files on your second Server. Then you must set in the config.php on the second server to use the ip of the server with which the VB-Database is running.
   
   
   
5. 404 Error on expiring passwords
   Cause - When redirected for expired password you are redirected to the directory that your login script is located in, not your forums root.
   
   Fix - Edit phrase called
   Code:

   ---

   passwordexpired

   ---

   Your current phrase should be
   
   Code:

   ---

   Your password is {1} days old, and has therefore expired.<br />
<br />
Please change your password using <a href="profile.php?{2}do=editpassword">this page</a>.

   ---

   change it to
   
   
   Code:

   ---

   Your password is {1} days old, and has therefore expired.<br />
<br />
Please change your password using <a href="../forums/profile.php?{2}do=editpassword">this page</a>.

   ---

   where ../forums/ is your forums directory.
   
   
   
6. Still got problems?
   It may be a conflict with somthing already in your site.
   To check this we can just make a simple page.
   Call it test.php and use just this code in it.
   (Make sure there is no whitespace before the 1st line)
   
   PHP Code:

   ---

   <?php
$curdir = getcwd ();
chdir('/path/to/your/forums');
require_once('/path/to/your/forums/global.php');
chdir ($curdir);
?>
<html> 
<body> 
This is a heading<br /> 
This is some more stuff <br /> 
And another line<br /> 
You get the idea<br /> 
Just place stuff as you normally would with HTML<br /> 
I use CSS to style and position on my site fwiw<br /> 
<br /> 
How about we put the login box right under here?<br /> 
<br /> 
<?php 
    require_once('/path/to/your/login_inc.php'); 
?> 
</body> 
</html>

   ---

   Naturally, change paths to fit your forums, then upload it.
   Browse to it and run it.

Thanks, I'll test it out!

I know this is proabably a dumb question, but I am not technical. Does the basic web page have to be set up as a .php page or can this be used in an html page?

Yes the webpage must be a php page else it wont work.

You can of course have HTML and PHP mixed on the same .php page, PHP is only parsed if its inside the <?php ?> tags. Outside of these, normal HTML will work as normal.

Great work!

Great work, thanks you.

hmmm why do i get

Warning: chdir(): No such file or directory (errno 2) in /home/site/public_html/site/index.php on line 2

i've entered the path to the forums, full url and just /forums/ but still same error

Edited:

Thats the same error message I get if I change the path to my forums so that its incorrect.

Double check the path to your forums.

Edited again:

I've added information to the opening post on how to find the correct path to your forums.

ok after i login it brings me back to the login page with the form. isn't it supposed to recognize you're logged in?