User registration

Brief outline

If you are keen to allow users to register themselves to use AP-Portal in either of the client or client-direct interfaces then there is the option to interact with local SMTP facilities and use Google’s reCAPTCHA facilities to improve the likelihood that the registrations are from genuine potential users.

Note

The option to have a registration mechanism only applies when the “prepopulated user authentication” user authentication mechanism is active. If a “bespoke user authentication” mechanism is used then there is no option to display a registration form in either of the client or client-direct interfaces.

Note

“Registration” in AP-Portal represents a portal administrator being notified, via email, of a user’s desire to use the system. It does not provide features such as dynamic user database population, user password selection or “remind me” features common on most web sites.

Task responsibility

The primary objective of this activity most likely involves the IT personnel determining how to configure interaction with the local SMTP server and, if using reCAPTCHA, how to request the necessary keys.

Additional detail

Scenarios related to registration :

  • Local SMTP service configured.

    Visitors to the client and/or client-direct interfaces who wish to register can complete a registration form (which prompts for a contact email address) which when submitted uses the configured SMTP service to send an email notification to the portal administrator who can then send the registering person one of the predefined usernames and passwords.
    If the predefined list becomes exhausted then more usernames and passwords must be manually created and added to users.sql and the component restarted.

    The registration form submission may be controlled by the use of the reCAPTCHA facility.

  • Local SMTP service not configured.

    Visitors to the client and/or client-direct interface who wish to register are directed to the “contact” page where it is expected there will be the relevant contact information.

  • reCAPTCHA

    A public and private key needs to be obtained from Google.

    To use this feature there needs to be internet access as you need to call a Google internet service. (I’m not sure how flexible it is with intranet web addresses!).