RE: [PHP] How to keep unauthorized viewers out

Miles, If you can save 2.htm as 2.php, use some authentication code. Story.php becomes <? include "auth.inc"; include "header.inc"; include $storynum.".php"; include "footer.inc"; ?> Inside X.php, you have some authentication code. Maybe something simple as: <? if ($valid) { // redirect to story.php?storynum=X } // rest of article follows ?> Inside story.php, set $valid to true <? $valid = TRUE; ?> Now accessing 2.php directly means that $valid is valid and you'll be redirected to story.php. Another option is to place all stories x.php into a story directory and restrict access to this directory using Apache configuration directives. -Ben -----Original Message----- From: Miles Thompson [mailto:milesthompson@sprint.ca] Sent: Tuesday, January 16, 2001 3:49 PM To: php-general@lists.php.net Subject: [PHP] How to keep unauthorized viewers out I'm using a pretty simple linking system for a subscription-based newsletter site. Stories and articles are in straight html files, reached by links from the front page. Clicking on a link passes a story number. So the second story on the index page would have this link: <A HREF="./story.php?storynum=2"> and story.php consists of just these lines: <? include "auth.inc" ; include "header.inc" ; include $storynum.".htm" ; include "footer.inc" ; ?> If someone comes in the "right way", through the index page, they will have to be authenticated, then the header, article and page footer are displayed. There's nothing, however, to stop someone from typing an URL like this: http://www.somepub.ca/2.htm and seeing the article. I assume they could also come in that way via a search engine. Any suggestions on how to stop that? Resources I should look at? I do want to keep the stories in straight html as the editor is struggling now with basic layout, etc. Regards - Miles Thompson -- PHP General Mailing List (http://www.php.net/) To unsubscribe, e-mail: php-general-unsubscribe@lists.php.net For additional commands, e-mail: php-general-help@lists.php.net To contact the list administrators, e-mail: php-list-admin@lists.php.net