How to Integrate WordPress User Authentication in an Existing Web Application
As a web developer, you may find yourself in a situation where you need to integrate WordPress user authentication into an existing web application. This could be for a variety of reasons – perhaps you're building an application that needs to leverage an existing WordPress user base, or you want to provide a seamless login experience for users who are already familiar with your WordPress site.
Integrating WordPress authentication into an existing application can be a complex process, but with the right tools and guidance, it can be done. In this article, we'll walk through a step-by-step process for integrating WordPress user authentication using the External DB Auth plugin, as detailed by the user sungyong in their Stack Overflow post.
By the end of this tutorial, you'll have a fully integrated WordPress authentication system in your web application, with user session data stored in the browser's local storage for easy access.
Step 1: Set Up the External DB Auth Plugin
The first step is to install and configure the External DB Auth plugin in your WordPress site. This plugin allows you to authenticate users against an external database, which is exactly what we need for integrating with our existing web application.
- Log in to your WordPress admin dashboard and navigate to the Plugins section.
- Search for "External DB Auth" and install the plugin.
- Once the plugin is installed, navigate to Settings > External DB Auth to configure it.
- In the plugin settings, you'll need to provide the following information:
- Database Connection Details: Enter the connection details for your external database, including the host, username, password, and database name.
- Table Name: Specify the name of the table in your external database that stores user information.
- User ID Column: Indicate the column in your user table that contains the user ID.
- Username Column: Specify the column that contains the user's username.
- Password Column: Indicate the column that contains the user's password.
- Save the settings, and the plugin should now be configured to authenticate users against your external database.
Step 2: Modify the External DB Auth Plugin
Now that the External DB Auth plugin is set up, we need to modify it to save the user session data in the browser's local storage. This will allow our Angular application to easily access the user's authentication information without having to manage the session on the server-side.
- Navigate to the plugins directory in your WordPress installation (usually located at
wp-content/plugins/external-db-auth-reloaded
).
- Open the
external-db-auth-reloaded.php
file in a text editor.
- Locate the
wp_login()
function, which is responsible for handling the user login process.
- After the
wp_signon()
function call, add the following code to save the user session data in the browser's local storage:
// Get the currently logged-in user
$user = wp_get_current_user();
// Store the user session data in local storage
$session_data = array(
'user_id' => $user->ID,
'user_login' => $user->user_login,
'user_email' => $user->user_email,
'user_nicename' => $user->user_nicename,
'display_name' => $user->display_name
);
// Convert the session data to a JSON string and store it in local storage
$session_json = json_encode($session_data);
echo "<script>localStorage.setItem('user_session', '$session_json');</script>";
This code retrieves the currently logged-in user's information, creates an associative array with the relevant user data, converts it to a JSON string, and then stores it in the browser's local storage using JavaScript.
- Save the modified
external-db-auth-reloaded.php
file.
Now, whenever a user logs in through your WordPress site, the user session data will be saved in the browser's local storage, ready for your Angular application to access.
Step 3: Integrate WordPress Authentication in Your Angular Application
With the External DB Auth plugin modified to store user session data in local storage, you can now integrate this functionality into your Angular application. Here's a step-by-step guide:
- In your Angular application, create a service to handle the user authentication process. You can call this service
AuthService
or something similar.
import { Injectable } from '@angular/core';
@Injectable({
providedIn: 'root'
})
export class AuthService {
private userSession: any;
constructor() {
this.loadUserSession();
}
loadUserSession() {
// Retrieve the user session data from local storage
const sessionData = localStorage.getItem('user_session');
if (sessionData) {
this.userSession = JSON.parse(sessionData);
} else {
this.userSession = null;
}
}
isLoggedIn(): boolean {
return !!this.userSession;
}
getUserId(): number {
return this.userSession ? this.userSession.user_id : null;
}
getUserName(): string {
return this.userSession ? this.userSession.user_login : '';
}
getUserEmail(): string {
return this.userSession ? this.userSession.user_email : '';
}
getUserNicename(): string {
return this.userSession ? this.userSession.user_nicename : '';
}
getUserDisplayName(): string {
return this.userSession ? this.userSession.display_name : '';
}
}
- In your Angular application's root module (usually
AppModule
), import the AuthService
and provide it as a service:
import { NgModule } from '@angular/core';
import { AuthService } from './auth.service';
@NgModule({
// other module configuration
providers: [
AuthService
]
})
export class AppModule { }
- Now, you can use the
AuthService
in your Angular components to check the user's authentication status and access their information:
import { Component } from '@angular/core';
import { AuthService } from './auth.service';
@Component({
selector: 'app-header',
template: `
<header>
<h1>My Web Application</h1>
<nav>
<ul>
<li *ngIf="!authService.isLoggedIn()"><a href="#">Login</a></li>
<li *ngIf="authService.isLoggedIn()">
<span>Welcome, {{ authService.getUserDisplayName() }}!</span>
<a href="#" (click)="logout()">Logout</a>
</li>
</ul>
</nav>
</header>
`
})
export class HeaderComponent {
constructor(public authService: AuthService) {}
logout() {
// Clear the user session data from local storage
localStorage.removeItem('user_session');
this.authService.loadUserSession();
}
}
In this example, the HeaderComponent
checks the user's authentication status using the AuthService
and displays the appropriate login or logout options. When the user clicks the logout link, the component removes the user session data from local storage and reloads the session data in the AuthService
.
By following these steps, you've successfully integrated WordPress user authentication into your existing web application using the External DB Auth plugin and Angular. Users can now log in to your WordPress site and have their session data automatically available in your Angular application.
Remember, this is just one approach to integrating WordPress authentication into an existing web application. Depending on your specific requirements and the architecture of your application, you may need to adapt the implementation to fit your needs. However, the general principles and steps outlined in this article should provide a solid foundation for your integration efforts.
If you have any further questions or need additional assistance, feel free to reach out to the Flowpoint.ai team. We'd be happy to help you optimize your website's performance and user experience.
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