Sunday, July 22, 2007

User Registration and Login Methods
Using Alpha Five V8 Security Framework

Today, developers can choose among several different methods to allow users to register and gain access (login) to their Internet-based application. Although some are more popular than others, the method selected should be appropriate to the nature of the online application and the type of user expected, as well as provide for application security, data security and dynamic data filtering.

The purpose of this article is to review the most popular methods for online registration and login, the individual components of those methods, and to provide a general guide to web application developers incorporating user registration and login into their applications.

Programming examples are geared towards Alpha Five version 8 deployed with the Security Framework. Because of this, you will see terms such as Security Framework, A5W and Ulink that refer directly to the Alpha Five development platform.

The full 5200 word document is available at www.alphatogo.com/learning.htm titled User Registration and Login Methods.

Here's the table of contents:

Background
- Purpose of Registration and Login
- User Registration requirements
- User Login requirements
- Examples of Registration and Login

Alpha Five
- Why is Alpha Five used here?
- Alpha Five Security Framework
- Security Groups

Registration Components
- Opt-In – Single or Double?
- Login - Email Address or non-email value?
- The Registration Form
- Security Question
- Captcha Validation
- Assigning Users to Security Groups
- Opt-out
- Terms and Conditions / Privacy Policy

Registration Models
- Open Model
- Subscription Model
- Authenticated Model
- Methods for Established Companies

Login Models
- Login Dialog- Lost password
- Lost Username
- Remember Me and Login Expiration
- Recording Logins
- Login using a Script
- Deny user access

Conclusion