AlphaSportsWebV8 Problem

[Robert Rough]

Re: AlphaSportsWebV8 Problem

Michael,

I am experiencing the same problem as you are experiencing with the Alphasports web.
When I originally installed the web application it worked straight out of the box. On seeing your problem I tried again and met the same problem that you are having.

I followed Jerry's explanation by clearing the temp internet files, republishing all and opening the site - but still no luck.

As you will see from a neighbouring post I was experiencing similar problems with my own sites and managed to solve the problem with Jerry's help.

At the moment the new patch seems to be a little sensitive and hope that a new patch will quickly correct this position.

Regards Robert

[michaelwpayton]

Re: AlphaSportsWebV8 Problem

Robert,

Thanks for letting us know. Sorry for your trouble... but it's good to know and more likely to be solved more quickly, now that's it not merely an isolated situation with us.

[Pat Bremkamp]

Re: AlphaSportsWebV8 Problem

I'm setting up alphaSportsWeb for a client, and I'm having the same problem. My Alpha is up to date, and I've published over and over, but the flyouts still don't work.

The only solution I've found is to edit the menu to eliminate the flyouts altogether.

By the way, are there any updates available to AlphaSportsWebV8? I'm using version 1.0.0.0

Pat

[kthibeault1965]

Re: AlphaSportsWebV8 Problem

Jerry
I just installed sportsweb on a machine already running the latest V9 app server. The application says it will NOT open, because it believes there is no app server running. could it be expecting a V8 server to be running? How do I tell sportsweb to load that everything will alright? Is there a link to how to install on V9 app server machines?

I am running XP, installed to the webroot subdirectory, published the files, including security files (btw, does publishing security files affect other user security files already published?), and the app server light is RED in alphasportsweb, but GREEN in the system tray.

thanks much

[JerryBrightbill]

Re: AlphaSportsWebV8 Problem

The application should work fine in Alpha Five Version 9. However, the menu just checks if the application server in the open database is running. It can not check if another server is running. You could open the application directly in a browser with a URL like this if another server is running.

http://ServerName/AlphaSportsWebV8/default/

[kthibeault1965]

Re: AlphaSportsWebV8 Problem

After installing, I just locked out my other users from other application (not alphasports web) from their applicatoin. ugh!

When the user logs in, they get message "TRY AGAIN LATER"

I have republished my user security for the existing application, no result. I think I broke my other security somehow? We are now dead in the water - please - any ideas?

[kthibeault1965]

Re: AlphaSportsWebV8 Problem

When I try to delete the user in question, I get the following error message in a dialog

Script UI_DLG_BOX:(Default) Web Users and Groups line: 184
delete_user(vl)
Variable mark.filter references a non-existent field USER_GUID= "172bfe1af8204489...."

I have verified - not just a single user affected, all users cannot log in.

[kthibeault1965]

Re: AlphaSportsWebV8 Problem

I just ADDED a new user to the list, re-published, then the error seems to have disappeared. We can get into the application now.

I am very concerned about the security architecture being affected by sportweb, should I be? can you shed some light on what might have just occured? THanks Jerry

[JerryBrightbill]

Re: AlphaSportsWebV8 Problem

All of the web security for each application is isolated and published into the target folder for the application. The system identifies the security by the identifier in the "guid.securitySettings" file in the published folder, and that identifier must be unique for every application. The process to generate that identifier should never create a duplicate id. If two projects try to share an identifier, only the first application will open. The second will generate a 403 server error indicating "The security settings for this server are missing or incomplete".

The message "TRY AGAIN LATER" can only occur if a Userid is explicitly locked out of the system. The lockout values are also unique for each application and identified by the security identifier. There are no locked out values in the program at installation.

All of the problems suggest that the two applications may have been installed into the same folder and the e-commerce publish process overwrote some, but not all, existing security files for another application. This should not occur if the application was published from the menu. It is also possible that the web security data files were not published with the application, but this most likely would give an error at the first login that the login was invalid. The error from the desktop Users and Groups form should not occur and will be investigated.

Every application must be published to a unique folder to avoid conflicts in the web security.

[kthibeault1965]

Re: AlphaSportsWebV8 Problem

Just so we are clear on the order of events
1. Web app was running fine
2. We installed alphasports web
3. Access to first web app was affected (not 100% sure #2 caused #3)
4. We could not delete problem users that were locked out
5. We added a new user to the old application
6. the problem went away

We are back in business - but very much appreciate the explaination!

[EMHmark7]

About ASportsWeb security in A5 v9

More light about that would be appreciated, so we could understand A5.9 security for our own project. (I am in V8 thread but continue in same topic and maybe could help talk about differences if necessary.

In ASportsWeb, there are BOTH 'A5 built-in security management' (A5 security files) AND 'application security management' files: customer.dbf and internal_users.dbf!

1) What does each one do or does not do?

2) Do we need such dual-system? Can we avoid such duality with version 9?

3) About changing passwords in an application security management files, these changes do not work if we try these new passwords! (is there a mess between both security system?)

4) Is one system less secure than the other?

5) What is the best way to process a new user registration (made by users themselves, not an administrative clerk) coming from the web?


Thanks.

[EMHmark7]

Re: AlphaSportsWebV8 Problem

6) What should we know about using Guid,Ulink and Userid?

7) What is the relationship between buillt-in A5.v9 Web User database and Desktop User database? (is it the same?)

[Steve Wood]

Re: AlphaSportsWebV8 Problem

I have not seen the newer eCommerce app, but I did review the older one, and it sounds like that is the one you are referencing.

It had (I don't know if the new one does also) this dual table login methodology. This would be absolutely unnecessary and overly complicated in an A5 app using Security Framework. So I suspect the newer version does not have the same concept; could be wrong. In fact, you probably could not use this method and Security Framework at the same time since the logic for the dual system was in the Login Dialog, and you could not have the same code in the Security Framework login dialog.

Q1,2,4 - Don't use this dual table concept.
Q3 - Don't know what you mean.
Q5,6 - Big topic - the user guide has pretty solid examples of how to put this together. Come back with specific questions.
Q7 - none at all, no connection, completely seperate.

More on Q5 - I resolved this a long time ago, but it is a complete "user management system" with no similarity to the ones described in the user guide. I like mine better.

[EMHmark7]

Re: AlphaSportsWebV8 Problem

About passwords. Is is just that when we try to set some user's values, it does not reflect in the application. So I did not know how to manage from desktop users in that demo app.

Thanks for reply.

[Steve Wood]

Re: AlphaSportsWebV8 Problem

The ASportsWeb will have a menu option for user management, and you would use that option in the browser to manage the online users. If you modify users in Web Security > Users and Groups, you will have edited users for the web app, but in what is a copy of the online user list.

Here, there are really four user lists in any A5 application that has a web application. Items 1 - 4 below are applicable to an application using Secuirty Framework. But if not using the framework, only 1 and 4 are applicable.

1. The "Desktop" userlist at Control Panel > Tools > Security > and then you have to go though a process starting with Set Database Password. That is exclusively for a desktop application and has nothing to do with the web at all.

2. The userlist found at Web Projects Control Panel > Web Security icon > Users and Groups. This is a LOCAL copy of the users allowed to access the web application. Changes to this list modify an OFFLINE list of users that, IF PUBLISHED to the web application, will affect who can log in. You publish it from Web Security icon > Publish Security Files > and then check Data Tables for User and Groups and OK. You have to select where you want to publish it to, the Local Webroot, or a server only if you have set up a remote server.

3. The userlist found ONLINE with your web application. This is modified either by the publishing process described in 2 above, or whatever routine that comes with the web application, usually titled User Management. This is the ONLY list that affects who can log in.

4. Finally - a web application typically has a "companion" userlist created by the developer to contain additional information about the user, their name, address, etc. If the system uses Security Framework, this list is optional and has no affect on who can log in. However, if the system is not using the framework, then this list takes center stage and IS the list that controls who can log in.

I still don't know if what you are using has the Security Framework turned on. Its pretty easy to tell. Go to Web Security icon > Web Security Configuration. If Security Enabled is checked, then the app is using the framework (the server also has an on/off toggle that has to be toggled on for security to be active on the server).