Login using facebook, how to keep userid across all pages? - javascript

I want to use Facebook's log in, and then I need to display some data related to the user, which is in my databases.
The problem is that I have several pages, and I don't want all pages to load the data using Ajax, rather I want them to be created by JSP based on the user id from the first time the user logged in. The problem is how to set the user id parameter in the server side, and keep it safe?
JavaScript can't set the session, and it is very annoying and have poor performance to load the page and then wait for the id from the Facebook session just to send it to server and process it --> send data back. This is good behavior for the first time user logged in only.
I am using Jaxcent as the framework for Ajax which is based on servlets. For some reason, I can't get to work with the session object there which only works with forms inputs. And when I tried to put a hidden filed in, it is not getting into the session, only if I type the value myself.
How do I solve this issue?
I thought about a table in the database which I could quote the session id, and userid from, but then again I have the session id in JSP but the userid in JavaScript, I can't find a way to combine them.

You could create a page that you would pass the user id (when you get it from facebook) and that page would store a cookie on the client, with the necessary redirecting of course.
You might be able to do that with AJAX to get rid of the redirection.

Just set a cookie from your JavaScript code, and read that on the server. Note that you should include the full signed request if you need definitive values, as opposed to the user being able to modify them.

Related

How can I 'lock' a page behind a log-in screen in jQuery/Bootstrap/JS?

I've been building a web app using Google's Firebase as a backend (for those who don't know, it's a Realtime database; any changes in data are reflected instantly and updated), there's other people working on the Android app with it so there's no other option (plus it's kinda cool). I was surprised that I have yet to write a single line of php or any server-side code. Anyway, jQuery is working perfectly fine for login and stuff.
Now I'm going to be making an admin page (with a separate login from the main users login). It'll be accessed in a completely separate way (by opening something like /admin.html). So the login can't be put on a separate page so people don't 'accidentally' access the admin panel by writing /admin.html in the address bar.
So I want to stop the admin page from completely loading until I've received confirmation from Firebase that the credentials are correct. So how can I achieve this knowing that both the login and the whole admin page needs to be in the same file. I'm positive this can be achieved with simple jQuery + Bootstrap but I'm not really sure how. Can anyone please point me in the right direction. Thanks in advance!
I have googled it of course but maybe my wording is off? :P
If I'm understanding your question correctly, your problem is that you need to create two separate views in a single file, and redirect to one or to another depending on your user "session", however, as all your code is in client, you don't have a "session" system operative.
Ok, there are several options you can take. I like the idea of using LocalStorage to store the user session.
When /admin.html is requested, your code checks for a valid session object (keep in mind that you'll need to define that session object) in the LocalStorage. If there is a valid object, you render the admin area, if there isn't any, you render the login area.
When someone sends username/pass to the database and you receive a valid response, you create a session object, store it in the LocalStorage and reload the page.
Keep in mind that you'll need to create a mechanism to make sessions die and a log off view.
For the dying sessions, as an idea, you can store the creation time and a expiration time in the session object. Each time a "session protected" page is served, when you check that the session object exist, you update it's expiration date a fixed amount (20 minutes plus current time, for example).
So, when you check if exists a valid session, you also check that it's expiration date has not due, and if it's, you delete the object.

How to log in remotely with AJAX?

I'm making a google-chrome-extension for a certain website, and want the browser_action to display the number of notifications a user has received on said website.
Currently, I am using an ajax request to retrieve the HTML from the website/messages page, and then I am using jQuery to count the number of "#unread > li" elements in that HTML (each one representing a new message.)
Now, I take this number and display it on the browser_action icon.
All works perfectly, the correct amount of messages are notified, BUT the user must be logged in on the site (not my site) for it to work properly, otherwise they will think that they have no messages.
I was thinking that I could detect if the user is logged in, and if not display a red ! exclamation mark on the icon. Then, when the user clicks to show the pop-up, it asks them to log in.
However, I have no idea how to actually log the user in to the website using this method: how do I send the credentials across? Or does the website have to support a request like this?
TL;DR
How can I log a user into a website I don't own remotely?
Disclaimer: I've never done a google chrome extension, but based on the rest of your question, it sounds like it's just working with JavaScript like any other web page, so I'll go ahead and answer it.
In any case, working with cookies in JavaScript can be somewhat of a pain:
https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/document.cookie
http://www.perlscriptsjavascripts.com/js/cookies.html
I'm assuming that your server side already works with and expects cookies, so I won't try to suggest any alternatives. That being the case, your server is what needs to validate the cookie, so, IMHO, might as well set the cookie on the server side. If the server handles it, on the JS side, you simply post the username/password to a server-side page, e.g.
$.post("/user/login",{"Username":"foo","Password":"bar"},callback);
That server-side page validates the username/password and then, if successful, generates the cookie and sends a response back to the JavaScript (e.g. {"IsSuccess":true}). Upon receiving a successful response rather than an error, you just start calling the other web services to retrieve your data assuming you are logged in and build out the page.
Assuming that your web services will return HTTP error codes that help you determine a problem with the session, if you get a 401 error code, you take the user back to the login page. If you get a 403 error code, you let the user know they can't access that data...etc., all depending on your app.
Ultimately, JavaScript doesn't know whether a user is actually logged in, so you have to rely on the server to send you information in a way that is understandable so that you can direct/prompt the user as necessary.
[Edit: 2014-11-21]
You didn't answer my other question: what do you get back? If they don't set the cookie themselves at the login, then you need to get back the session token from the response they send...if they don't send you a session ID, you're SOL. If they do send you an session token/session ID, then you need to know what to name it (e.g. PHP uses something like PHPSESSID as the cookie name, but it can be whatever the coders of that domain decided on). Beyond that, you have to be able to set the cookie for THAT domain name (3rd party cookie). This may have mixed results depending on the user's settings--if they block 3rd party cookies--however, since this is a google extension and not a website, maybe it's able to bypass that kind of restriction. I know that FireFox's developer toolbar is able to manipulate cookies for all domains, so it would be a reasonable assumption you would be able to as well.

How to manage server user session within client side single page app

I've been fumbling around with different client side technologies, like AngularJS, EmberJS, even trying to use straight JQuery and figure out how to use ReactJS with it. That aside, my goal is to build a single page app using json in between the client and a Java Jersey 2 jax-rs back end api.
I have two stumbling blocks right now. Some info though..I am deploying my app as a WAR file in Jetty. My back end is java based. I am using only jquery in the client side as of now.
My main stumbling block is how to handle login, logout and session management. With an rest API and using ajax, I have login working, including it setting a cookie. My concern however is with a single page app, there is just the one index page, and if the user closes the browser, then reopens it to the index page while the cookie/session is still good, the user should be logged in, not see the outside (not logged in) page. I am unsure how to handle this, whether it be a jsp page, index.html with some templating library, etc. With JSP I can insert some scriplet code (against my better judgment). In the old days I'd include a header that would check for request.getSession().getAttribute("user") and if it was there..the user was logged in and using scriplet if() code I'd display a logged in header, instead of the non-logged in header. But I am in the belief there has got to be a better way to do this with todays client side JS frameworks.
The other stumbling block is the navigation and dynamic aspects. For example, when I was messing around with angular js, it was easy enough to use Welcome {{name}} and within the scope replace name with a json response value for the logged in user. In my current situation, I am not exactly sure how to best go about displaying dynamic bits like this with pure jquery other than using some sort of $("#elem-id").innerHtml="..." code within the response success method of an ajax call. As well, I am not quite sure how to handle navigation to different pages. My logged in site will have some drop down menus or links that will replace the content area with different varying amounts of content.
So first, what are some ways in a SPA to handle user sessions, in the case of a page reload, or close/crash browser restart.. to ensure the user is still logged in and direct them to the right page? Second, what sort of templating and routing/navigation options exist that don't require me to put a huge ton of code in my one index.jsp page?
Thank you.
If you're having a REST API as the back end, then you must have implemented oAuth as an authentication mechanism. That is, when your user logs in, using a username and a password, you exchange that data with an authentication token. This authentication token is sent your server with each and every API call and your backend validates this token before servicing the request. Clear so far?
What you could do is, when you obtain the access token, you can also obtain the access token expiration time from the server and store that data in your client side app. In localStorage maybe? And when your user closes the browser and reopens again, you can first check whether such access token is available (and not expired) before asking the user to log in. This should solve your first problem.
Secondly, if you're looking for a lightweight routing option, I recommend director.
I am building a similar application. OAuth is not mandatory. You can have normal sessions etc by hitting the jersey login endpoint and setting a session and a cookie "keepme" with the session if user wants to be persistently logged in. You can then have a jersey AuthFilter for example check if either there is a cookie with a valid session or an active session and keep the user logged in.
Your frontend application should have no say over this, just communicate with the server and if it doesn't get unauthorized access (from the AuthFilter) then continues otherwise it displays the login page.

How to pass a custom parameter to facebook login?

I have a static website without any server side languages.
Is it possible to pass some custom values whenever a user tries to login then get the data back when the user successfully signed in and comes back to my website from facebook?
I've read about signed_request, but that requires PHP.
You're essentially asking if Facebook will store data for you.
Unfortunately, the answer is no. You need some kind of mechanism on your server that can match a Facebook user to the data you need stored.
You could use local storage, but that's obviously local to the browser and prone to tampering.

Can I create registration page in JavaScript?

I just want to know can I create registration page with using javascript in html page and store all details to the client-side cookie session or I should have a database to store all information there?
Any help would be appreciated
This has to be server side, in a database. Why would you want to store this on users computers? What would happen if they moved to a different computer or deleted their temporary internet files? You'd cause problems.
Hi there, I just want to know can I create registration page with using javascript in html page and store all details to the client-side cookie session
You could, but then the user would be registering with their browser rather then with your website, which doesn't appear to make sense.
should have a database to store all information there?
Having a server side system which stores information in a database is the standard approach.
If you want to persist your user information and if you want your user be able to login to your application from anywhere, then you should use a server side database and store your registration information.
Yes, you could do that, but it would not provide any kind of security. It would also mean that you lose out on the ability to keep track of your users, unless the cookie is read by the server. Finally, your user's registration would only be valid on their computer, again unless there is a way for them to retrieve their information from the server (which means the server will need to have it).
If it's a HTML5 app you could use the localStorage and sessionStorage Objects to store your info however if the items you are collecting are security sensitive I'd send the info to a database or a protected file on the server. Leaving sensitive info in a cookie isn't wise.
If you're working with passwords, get that stuff into a database and encrypted/salted!

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