Cookbook/Support Center logins using vBulletin accounts

From Cerberus Helpdesk Wiki

Contents 1 Support Center logins using vBulletin accounts 1.1 Create the plugin directory 1.2 Create the plugin manifest 1.3 Create the plugin implementation 1.4 Create the login form template 1.5 Activate the plugin 1.6 Configure your Support Center 1.7 Finishing up

Support Center logins using vBulletin accounts

In this Cookbook recipe we'll create a new extension to allow customers to log in to the Support Center using their vBulletin forum account. This is useful if you want to provide a single sign on (SSO) to your customers for the various resources you provide.

Create the plugin directory

First, we need to create a new plugin for our usermeet.login.authenticator extension. It's a good practice to have a single plugin for your company's extensions that implement custom business logic and workflow; but this example will create a new plugin for clarity. If you know what you're doing, feel free to add the required manifests and source code to an existing plugin instead.

• Create the plugins/example.bizlogic directory.
• Inside the new directory, create a templates subdirectory and two files: plugin.php and plugin.xml

  

  The directory structure for our new plugin.

Create the plugin manifest

plugin.xml:

Create the plugin implementation

plugin.php:

* Notes: You need to customize the mysql_connect() and mysql_select_db() calls inside authenticate() to use the appropriate database information for your vBulletin installation. If the vBulletin database is hosted on a different machine than your helpdesk then you may need to create a remote database user.

Create the login form template

templates/sc/vbulletin/login.tpl:

Activate the plugin

• Log in to your helpdesk as an administrator.
• In Helpdesk Setup->Plugins & Features, check the box next to your new plugin and click the Save Changes button at the bottom of the page.

Configure your Support Center

• In Helpdesk Setup->Community Portals, select the desired Support Center portal from the left menu.
• Under the Authenticate Logins: setting, change the dropdown to vBulletin Login Handler and click the Save Changes button at the bottom of the form.

Finishing up

• Visit the appropriate Support Center in your web browser. The login form should now be asking for a forum login and password rather than e-mail address.