Another take on auto-login/registration

[suzzer99]

This thread, which never seemed to get resolved, describes exactly what we need:

https://vborg.vbsupport.ru/archive/i...p/t-96895.html

We would like to integrate vBulletin into a content site run by the host of a hit TV show. The first thing we'd like to put up in the forums, then add various content channels and a few pieces of functionality to the site over time. It's very important to us to only make the users sign in once (for the forums or future site functionality). But we really don't want to be married to joomla or drupal at this point.

I get the feeling this will take a decent amount of programming work, and will need to be re-implemented to some degree with every future upgrade of vB. Is this true? I've searched the Hacks forum and didn't find anything existing or service offered.

What about creating an automated user-agent to essentially submit to this form to register a user: http://www.vbulletin.com/docs/html/users_add -- and submit to the site to automatically login a user? Has that been done? Would there be a bunch of IP-related vB security blocks in the way?

We've looked at ning and kick-apps, but they're a little too social-networky for what we need. Drupal and joomla seem like overkill at the moment since we don't know exactly how the site will develop. What we want right now is just a very simple homegrown content site, integrated with vBulletin, BUT with the ability for the user to use single sign-on to vB and our site functionality in the future - and not to have to register twice.

Thanks a lot for any help.

-Matt Savino

[Marco van Herwaarden]

The thread you have linked to was posted in 2005, many things have changed since then.

Integrating your site with a vBulletin login is in most cases an easy task, but will depend on the authentication system used in other parts of your site.

[suzzer99]

I realize the thread was old. The main reason I linked to it is that several posters in that thread described what we want to do perfectly. Also it didn't really seem like anything was resolved.

As far as authentication system, let's say I'm using a homegrown web app with it's own login/regstration (username/password, standard data - if vBulletin needs something else we can always collect that). The homegrown site can live on the same network or even box as vBulletin. Also of course I can write any kind of custom adapter for my web-app to register and/or login users to the vBulletin component of the app.

You say this is easy to do? Can you give me any more information, like what method would be used, or what kind of customization is involved? I didn't see anything in the modifications section to do this. And searching the web, I find people asking the question of auto-login in various forms. But I can't find a place where it's actually answered.

Also what about my idea for just automatically submitting the vBulletin forms for user-add and login from the home-grown app? Is that way off base?

Thanks for your help. We do want to go with vBulletin as it's clearly the best forum software out there. But if I buy a license and especially if I get far down the road on this and find out it won't work, our client is not going to be very happy with us.

-Matt

[Dismounted]

SSO in vBulletin is actually not that difficult - I coded an SSO script for logging in & out multiple installations of vBulletin just a few days ago (and that was cross-domain as well, mind you!).

[Marco van Herwaarden]

Including the vBulletin framework (complete with authentication and permissions) is a piece of cake in most cases.

The other way round: make vBulletin authenticate with your custom user registration system can be a bit more work, but is also doable (but not recommended).

But both will depend greatly on the other system and how flexible it is.

Detailed instructions can only be given to licensed customers.

[Bilderback]

SSO is something I have been looking for also.
Where can I also find information on the topic so I can write a bridge?
Thanks

[Marco van Herwaarden]

Not in Pre-Sales, please ask such questions on the support forums (or search for an exiting thread on that topic).

PS A real SSO between multiple vB boards is not as easy as it seems.