Integrating User Authentication for site and vBulletin

[Tigratrus]

Hey all,

I've dug around a bit in the searches looking for a solution to this but so far I haven't come up with a good fit, which is unusual as I've had very good luck most of the time. My search-fu must be week today .

Anyway, I've got a new version of our site that we're putting together in Dreamweaver using InteraKt extensions (we got the whole suite before Adobe bought them out), and I REALLY want to try and integrate the Authentication system with vBulletin's. InteraKt's system can be matched up to a pre-existing database, but obviously their password hash doesn't match vBulletin's. I have strong need of a system that puts session variables up that specify Username and access level, and securing access to pages based on that access level, which InteraKt's does very nicely for me. Does anyone else have any suggestions for a good way to do this? I'm decent at using RAD tools to get what I need done, but the low level coding tends to lose me past a certain point, and I'm afraid the authentication system has past my ::head scratch:: threshold.

I've thought about adding a field for an Interakt password in the User table or an additional table with a foreign key linking to the vBulletin User table, but the possiblity of someone else creating a site account that matches an existing forum user and screwing things up makes my blood run a little cold.

Does vBulletin set sessions variables that hold identifying information that I could use to preset the user name info in a hidden field and just have them set a password for the site using the Interakt system, and read all other info out of the vBulletin tables? Basically, they would create an account in a separate table but the Username and ID would be automatically filled in based on their vBulletin account and I'd maybe build a view that combined the two tables for use in determining access?

Or is there a way to leverage the vBulletin login itself? Is there a system out there to secure access to pages based on vBulletin login and group membership? I really need that and the ability to check a cookie or session variable to retrive user name and access level (group membership) for use in various functions such as storing pictures in user specific subdirectories etc...

Sorry if I'm rambling a bit... I'm trying to type this while fielding questions from my 4 and 5 year old about what a session variable *is* etc... So my trane of thought keeps getting... ahh... Sidetracked.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions you might have!

[Steve Machol]

Integrating vBulletin with a non-vB member system would require a rather extensive modification of the code. Of course, we cannot provide official support for code modifications. What most people do is modify their current system to use the vB member system.

Either way the place for help with this would be over at the mod site: http://www.vbulletin.org

[Tom_S]

Hey Steve. I know this is an old thread and most likely not the place to post this but I see you online and need help. I setup an addon page for our chat and we are using digichat. The page comes up fine and it logged me in but as "username". What variable do I use to pass on to it?

Thanks

[Steve Machol]

You need to ask for help with this over at www.vbulletin.org.