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Integrate w/ other user database app/tables

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Category: Web Wiz Web App Support Forums
Forum Name: Web Wiz Forums
Forum Description: Support forum for Web Wiz Forums application.
URL: https://forums.webwiz.net/forum_posts.asp?TID=30256
Printed Date: 30 March 2026 at 6:49pm
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 12.08 - https://www.webwizforums.com

Topic: Integrate w/ other user database app/tables

Posted By: GhOs+
Subject: Integrate w/ other user database app/tables
Date Posted: 03 April 2012 at 8:27pm

I am very much interested in integrating the forum database with another user database I have. Actually, I'm only using ONE database, but different sets of tables for two different apps, specifically the forum app, and a customer/userlevel app. I would very much like to keep the integrity of both sets of data intact, so when there is a major WebWiz upgrade, the forum tables can easily be upgraded without much concern of breaking anything on the other end. I realize this is quite a feat, and would like to get input/advice regarding this endeavor. Especially from someone who has already done this. The goal is to have one login for the forum, as well as other aspects of the site (as per user permissions defined in the other tables).

What unique identifier in the "AUTHOR" table was used, Author_ID?

What method(s) did you use to transfer the username/email/password to the other tables so the logins always remain the same for both applications?

Many thanks,

GhOs+

Replies:

Posted By: WebWiz-Bruce
Date Posted: 03 April 2012 at 9:14pm

For integration with an existing database you should look at the pages below:-

http://www.webwiz.net/web-wiz-forums/kb/existing-members-api.htm" rel="nofollow - Existing Membership API

http://www.webwiz.net/web-wiz-forums/kb/xml-http-api.htm" rel="nofollow - HTTP XML API

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https://www.webwiz.net/web-wiz-forums/forum-hosting.htm" rel="nofollow - Web Wiz Forums Hosting
https://www.webwiz.net/web-hosting/windows-web-hosting.htm" rel="nofollow - ASP.NET Web Hosting

Posted By: GhOs+
Date Posted: 04 April 2012 at 2:50am

wowsers!!! Star

Posted By: GhOs+
Date Posted: 03 February 2013 at 9:18pm

I know it's been a while since i looked at implementing this. It looks rather simple, but I just can't get it to work. I'm obviously missing something and am hoping someone can help -

functions_member_API.asp:

Const blnMemberAPI = True

Created the following sessions:

Session("USER")

Session("PASSWORD")

Session("EMAIL")

I confirmed the Session("USER") value does not exist as a username in the forum tables. It should automatically create a username with this value when navigating to a forum page, correct? Nothing happens - the forum page remains as usual and I do not get "logged in"

Posted By: GhOs+
Date Posted: 03 February 2013 at 9:50pm

Just in case it's needed, I assigned the directory of the membership system I'm using to the same application pool as the forum, and restarted IIS. I also called up the Session.SessionID and noticed that it increments by one when I move from the membership page to a forum page. Could this be related to my problem somehow?

Posted By: IanSmithISA
Date Posted: 04 February 2013 at 6:29am

Good morning,

I am not at all sure that I am right about this but....

Many pages don't need you to be logged in to view them, so maybe setting these Session variables won't force a login.

So maybe you need to call the login_user.asp page to get a login performed using these Session variables and then to go where you want to, you can set the request parameter "returnURL" with the page's URL. There is a bit processing of this on line 182

I am not at all sure that I know what I am talking about though.

Bye

Ian

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Why does anyone need more than an 80x25 character only VDU?

Posted By: GhOs+
Date Posted: 04 February 2013 at 6:36am

Thanks for your reply. Not working, though. By using response.write, I verified that the Session("USER") is populated in the page before I go to the forum, and I tried doing a response.write of Session("USER") in a forum page, but it nothing shows up! Apparently the forum isn't picking up any of the session variables...

Posted By: WebWiz-Bruce
Date Posted: 04 February 2013 at 8:36am

For ASP sessions to work in Classic ASP they require that you use both a single application pool and for security reasons the same website.

ASP sessions also rely on a session cookie to run, so if you change domain, even if it is the same website but using a sub domain, a new ASP session would be created and you would loose your old session variables.

For session variables to work you need to:-

1. Use a single domain (eg. www.example.com and www.example.com/forum)

2. Use a single application pool for the website

Posted By: GhOs+
Date Posted: 04 February 2013 at 9:01am

I am on the same domain and Application Pool - the AP is .NET Framework v2.0.50727 with "Classic" (not integrated) Managed pipeline mode...

Posted By: GhOs+
Date Posted: 04 February 2013 at 9:32am

Strangely, while i am in the same app pool, a new session id is issued when I navigate to the forum page! this must be somehow related. The new session id that is generated is incremented by 1 or 2 as I move from the member page to a forum page.

For example, if I print the session id on the member page and it is 12345677, the forum would be 12345678 or 12345679! If using a different app pool or domain, the entire number is different, not incremented by one or two. I am at a total loss, but hopefully this can help identify the problem...

Posted By: GhOs+
Date Posted: 04 February 2013 at 9:49am

IanSmith, in answer to your sidenote, both the membership script and the forum (obviously!) are classic ASP; I am not using any ASP .NET page whatsoever.

Could the fact that the forum directory has a web.config file cause this hiccup? I'm starting to think this is the root of my problem -- any recommended method of preventing the session to increment when switching between the membership page (different directory) and the forum pages (with it's own web.config file in the forum directory)?

Posted By: WebWiz-Bruce
Date Posted: 04 February 2013 at 4:27pm

The web Wiz Forums web.config file is for the URL Rewrite rules and should not affect sessions.

Make sure that the forums directory is not an application/virtual directory in IIS as this will then mean that it runs as a separate website to the rest of the website and not be able to share session variables.

Posted By: GhOs+
Date Posted: 05 February 2013 at 5:16am

I removed the Application Pool for the forum and am now using the main App Pool for both the Forum and the membership pages. Both allow anonymous access. Restarted IIS. No luck, still different sessionIDs as I move from membership page to forum. Restarted the server. Still different sessionIDs as I move from membership page to forum.

I am not using virtual directories, both are actual directories off the root. Could the different webconfig files (one in forum, other in membership) possibly trigger a different sessionID?

Posted By: GhOs+
Date Posted: 05 February 2013 at 5:33am

It turns out the membership page (since it contains sensitive data) requires HTTPS, when I switch to the forum, it's regular http. Session.ID is incremented. Do you have any suggestion/idea on how I can best bring over the Session("User") ETC that I need for the forum from the membership pages that use HTTPS?

Posted By: WebWiz-Bruce
Date Posted: 05 February 2013 at 10:51am

You would need to have both running under the same website either with HTTP or HTTPS.

Web Wiz Forums does support HTTPS and will switch to HTTPS for login, registration, member control panel, etc.

You may want to try enabling HTTPS support in Web Wiz Forums and see if that fixes the issue. You can enable the HTTPS support from the General settings page in Web Wiz Forums admin page.

You may find that you need to point the URL from your website to an https:// URL of the forum so that the session variables can be passed over correctly and the user logged in.

Posted By: GhOs+
Date Posted: 05 February 2013 at 1:43pm

Thanks!!!

Posted By: aussiem8
Date Posted: 04 May 2013 at 11:33pm

I am having the same problems but just this minute discovered the reason so thought I would post in case its the same for you.

On my site, I switch between the forum pages and my main page. I kept losing the session variables between the two which meant that the member API never worked. The reason is that on my main page (called footyweb.net/tipping) I was referring to the forum as "www.footyweb.net/forum". ie. with "www" prefixing the site name.

This might be something you could check with your site.