Modifying the iwp_auth.html file

[Heart]

Hello Everyone,

I've added a link on my website to a FMP 8 database. I've modified the iwp_home.html file so that, when the link is clicked on my website the user will by-pass the iwp_home.html page and go directly to the iwp_auth.html page, i.e. the login page (where they'll enter their User Name and Password). I am currently modifying this page so it looks like I want it to, e.g. with a different background color and without the standard Instant Web Publishing banner.

My question is this: I'm developing on my home computer, but will soon be sending my database to a FileMaker hosting service. Will I be able to use my modified iwp_auth.html file on their server (and get my custom login page), or will everyone who has a database hosted with them, including me, get the generic iwp_auth.html login page?

Thanks.

[Nikko]

If you are able to make this work on your local machine, I would think a hosting service should be able to duplicate your set up with no problem.  The challenge might be would be whether they are willing to do so.   If the hosting service is sharing one license for Filemaker Server 8 among several clients modifying this page might possibly cause problems for their other customers depending on how each page transfers to the next.  Their may be a way around this potential problem by having a script somewhere in the process that detects for your url and does something different than if it sees others.

If you can tell me where the iwp_auth.html file resides I can try to figure this out.  It is related to a problem that I am working to solve and maybe we can get both answered in the process.  (I am trying to figure out how to let a guest onto part of my site without logging in, but yet also allow higher level users to log in with a password.)

[Heart]

Nikko,

Thanks for the reply. Yes, I can get it to work on my local computer. My hosting service believes that they can get it working the way I want on their servers. I just wanted to find out if anyone else has had this experience and could tell me what to expect before I send the files to the hosting service.

On my computer, I've put the modified iwp_home.html file into the FileMaker Pro 8/Web folder. I initially put the modified iwp_auth.html file into the same folder, but the login process did not look there (though it does look at the iwp_home.html file in this folder). Rather, it looked at the original (non-modified) iwp_auth.html file in the default location FileMaker Pro 8/Extentions/Web Support/Resources/iwpres folder. I'll have to play around with this a bit more to see if I can get it to look in the FileMaker Pro 8/Web folder. This may not even be an issue if we can get everything to work at the hosting service.

[Nikko]

Thank you for your reply.

For a while I had difficulty finding  the FileMaker Pro 8/Extentions/Web Support/Resources/iwpres folder.  On OSX I finally found it by going to FileMaker Pro 8/Extentions/Web Support/ and then opening a "package" called FM Web Publishing with a control click action.  Inside the package were all the goodies.

Thanks again for the help.

Pat Monks
nikkomedia.com

[jmay]

I'd suggest just modifying the files in the /iwpres/ location.  We (and others) have had difficulties getting FMSA8 to recognize custom iwp_home pages in the new "custom home page" location, so have reverted to just modifying in the old /iwpres/ directory.

Also, note that we as a hosting service do offer custom iwp_home pages on a client-by-client basis.  We also have the ability to do automatic IWP guest logins even if you have other IWP users assigned to your database.

- John

[Nikko]

Hi John,

Thank you for you reply.

I know that there are several people out there who are searching for a technique to allow guests to auto login and also allow higher level users with IWP privileges in FileMaker Server Advanced 8.  If this is something you have figured out would you be willing to share how this is done?

Thanks,

Pat Monks
nikkomedia.com

[jmay]

Here's what I posted on FMForums before.  This is the extent of the info I'll provide - it's up to you to figure it out from here:


Force-authenticate with guest:

<http://www.yourdomain.com/fmi/iwp/cgi?acct=guest&login=Login&-authdb>

or a user:

<http://www.yourdomain.com/fmi/iwp/cgi?acct=account&name=username&password=password&login=Login&-authdb>

then, modify your IWP home page to detect for www.yourdomain.com
(using JavaScript) and rewrite to the direct address for your
database:

<http://www.yourdomain.com/fmi/iwp/cgi?-db=databasename&-startsession>


You can use separate secondary domains (db1.yourdomain.com,
db2.yourdomain.com...) to detect against if you need to specify
different databases to bounce to.


However, if the forced authentication is used again though, then it
won't normally clear the session first until the browser is
restarted, and instead of properly authenticating the main domain is
just gone to instead.

So, if you use the secondary domain tip above, you can just make an
index.html page that clears the session cookie, then re-visits the
forced authentication URL. Here's how I did it in Lasso:

[cookie_set: 'http-session'='', -expires='-1', -path='/fmi/iwp']
<html><head>
<meta http-equiv="refresh"
content="0;URL=http://www.yourdomain.com/fmi/iwp/cgi?acct=guest&login=Login&-authdb">
</head><body></body></html>


Got it? =)

Of course, we set this all up for our clients without them having to deal with it.

- John

[Nikko]

Hi John,

Thank you for your reply.

This gives a good framework for the solution.

With FileMaker 8 going to forms based authentication I am suspecting that all of your suggested steps would be best performed inside the iwp_auth.html file.   I will crack open the Javascript books and give it a try.

Thank you very much for your help.

-Pat

[Ricardo]

Hi,

I would like to Change the default Home page of IWP.
I am using FM Pro 8 Adv (i dont require FM Server as only 4 users)
I am using WIN XP Pro.

I have created a web page i would like as my IWP home page and named it iwp_home.html and placed this in the 'Web' Folder within Filemaker Pro 8 Advanced folder but i still get the default IWP home page when i try accessing this via IE...can anyone tell me what im doing wrong please?

thanks in advance.

[Ricardo]

Hi,

I would like to Change the default Home page of IWP.
I am using FM Pro 8 Adv (i dont require FM Server as only 4 users)
I am using WIN XP Pro.

I have created a web page i would like as my IWP home page and named it iwp_home.html and placed this in the 'Web' Folder within Filemaker Pro 8 Advanced folder but i still get the default IWP home page when i try accessing this via IE...can anyone tell me what im doing wrong please?

thanks in advance.

I have figured this one out...Thanks FM Webschool for your on-line videos :-)