Question

I’ve got a requirement such that, when a user logs in while completing a multi-form data submission process, their profile is checked against the data they’ve already submitted and certain classes of users will be shown an alert message; i.e. some users get a popup message when they login.

The popup will use the ModalPopupExtender from the Ajax toolkit which is in line with similar functionality elsewhere in the code base.

The problem I’ve got is that as soon as the user is validated, the user is always redirected to the originating page; I want to suspend this action until the user has been shown the message and then perform the redirection when the user clicks to dismiss the message.

Can anyone suggest a solution to this (using .NET 3.5)?

EDIT

Since it’s been asked for, the login page has a user control which contains an control. The control handles the OnAuthenticate event which basically calls:

    protected void Login_Authenticate(object sender, AuthenticateEventArgs e)
    {
        bool isValidUser = Membership.ValidateUser(FullLogin.UserName, FullLogin.Password);

        if (isValidUser)
        {
            e.Authenticated = true;
        }
       ...
    }

It also handles the LoggedIn event which performs some business logic and raises a ‘LogInSuccessful’ or ‘LoginFailed’ event handled by the page. A successful login will the redirect the user back to the originating page.

I’ve already refactored out the manual redirection code to be called when the info box is dismissed but it appears that forms authentication is redirecting the user automatically which is the behaviour I’m trying to override.

Answer 1

When you login with forms authentication, user is carried to the login form and back to the origination page by asp.net.

Once you have authenticated the user, it will take him back to the originating page.
If you have to do it on this page, you must for this group of users, cancel the authenticate and then show the message.

protected void Login_Authenticate(object sender, AuthenticateEventArgs e)
    {
        bool isValidUser = Membership.ValidateUser(FullLogin.UserName, FullLogin.Password);

        Session["isValidUser"] = isValidUser;
        if (!Session.ContainsKey("isValidUser"))
        {
            e.Authenticated = false;
        }
        else
        {
          e.Authenticated = (bool)Session["isValidUser"];
        }
       ...
    }

When the user clicks the ok button, you must then postback and authenticate the user. This will need you to store the result of authenticate from the previous call in session.

It might be simpler to put this message in a common master page, let asp take the user back to the originating page and show the message there.