Web Wiz Forums Existing Membership API
The Web Wiz Forums Existing Member API allows you to integrate Web Wiz Forums with an existing login or membership system running on your website. The API has been created to be easy and quick to setup and should not take any longer than 10 minutes.
To make the Existing Member API as simple as possible to setup there are some stringent requirements that your own member system must meet:-
- Must be written in ASP
- Must be running on the same website
- Your website must support ASP Sessions
If your own login system does not meet these requirements that don't worry all is not lost as you can use the more powerful XML HTTP API to integrate Web Wiz Forums into your website. The XML HTTP API can work with websites written in ASP, ASP.NET, PHP, ColdFusion, etc.
How to Setup The Existing Membership API
- Open your own ASP file on your website that deals with logging in your members.
- You will need to initialise in your ASP code three ASP Sessions variables that are used to pass login information to Web Wiz Forums. These session variables are shown below.
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Session("USER") = Member_Username
Session("PASSWORD") = Member_Password
Session("EMAIL") = Member_Email |
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- The ASP Session Variables need to contain the following:-
- Session("USER") - This needs to hold the member's name as it will be shown in Web Wiz Forums
- Session("PASSWORD") - This is the member's password, it must be in plain text
- Session("EMAIL") - This is the member's email address
- Once these Session Variables are setup in your own login code you next need to open in notepad the forum file functions/functions_member_API.asp.
- Inside this file you will find the variable blnMemberAPI which needs to be set to True as shown below.
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Const blnMemberAPI = True |
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- That's it the Existing Member API is now setup and as long as everything is setup correctly you will find that if you login through your own login system when you browse to your forum you will also be logged in there also.
- You will find a number of other additional options within the functions/functions_member_API.asp file which will allow you to integrate Web Wiz Forums more tightly with your own login, logout, and registration pages. There are notes within the file on what each of these options does.
Notes on The Existing Member API
How the Member API Works
The session variables that you set in your own login page are passed to Web Wiz Forums login API when the member enters the forum. If the member is not already in the Web Wiz Forums own database they are automatically entered if they are already in the database they are logged in with that members details, if their password or email address has changed since their last visit to the forum this will also be updated to keep the forum in sync with your own websites login system.
Do NOT try and import members or add them manually, you MUST let the users be auto added to your forum by the Web Wiz Forums software.
Admin Control Panel - IMPORTANT
The built in Web Wiz Forums Admin Account will remain and is not part of your own system. This account is used to login to the Web Wiz Forums Admin Control Panel by pointing your browser at the admin.asp page of your forum. Do NOT rename the built in admin account with the same name as your membership systems login name.
Security
The Member API relies on the security of your own login system, if your login system is not secure then nor will Web Wiz Forums. |