How to Make a Login Screen for My Web Page
In order to make a login screen for a web page, you have to use some type of programming that will create a dynamic interactive web page, most commonly using Active Server Pages. This technology enables you to make pages running ActiveX scripts. While this can be done manually, it is very complicated, which is why most people use some form of web programming software such as Microsoft Expressions or Adobe Dreamweaver. If you do not own either of these programs, then a good solution is the free Microsoft Web Developer 2008 Express Edition (WDE 2008) (see Resources).
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Things You'll Need
- Microsoft Web Developer 2008 Express Edition (WDE 2008) or similar program
Instructions
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Download and install Web Developer Express 2008 from the Microsoft website. Click “Start” and locate the Visual Web Developer in the list of programs. When the program opens, click “File” in the top menu and select “New Project.” Provide a name for the project in the box and save it.
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Click on “Toolbox,” which will appear in the left-hand panel in a vertical list of options. Clicking will expand the Toolbox. Scroll down the list of types of tools until you see a “Login” section. Double-click on the “Login” tool to place a pre-developed login routine on the form. You can either rename the form to something like “Login” or leave it under the default file name, which is “Default.aspx.” In this case, this will be the first form to load when the web page is live.
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Click on the new user login to highlight it. Click the right-pointing arrow at the top, opposite the words “Log in.” Click on the “Autoformat” option that appears. Modify the design by choosing one of the schemes: Elegant, Professional, Simple, Classic, or Colorful. Alternatively, remove all formatting by the first option listed, “Remove Formatting.”
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Make further adjustments in the appearance of the login form by highlighting it again. Change properties as desired in the “Properties” panel on the bottom-right panel. For example, you can widen the border with the “BorderWidth” property. Change the “FailureText” property, which is the message a user gets if their user name/password fails.
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Click on “Project” and select “ASP.NET Configuration.“ This opens a Website Administration Tool that sets up users and passwords as well as roles for groups of users and permissions for access to various parts of the site. These appear under the “Security” option. Selecting the Security Setup Wizard walks you through a series of fairly complicated steps to accomplish this part of the operation. Most importantly, you have to choose the access method, either from the Internet or a local area network, because this controls the type of security. When finished, return to the Design page and press “F5” to test the application.
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Tips & Warnings
A number of associated files are created automatically during this process. They are listed in the “Solution Explorer” panel on the right off the Design page. All must be uploaded to an external website if they are not running on a local area network.
You may have to change security settings to allow access to the Internet Information Services (IIS) folder when testing this on your local computer.
References
- Sams Teach Yourself ASP.NET 3.5 Scott Mitchell; 2008
- Microsoft Development Network: ASP.NET Development Center: How to Create an ASP.NET Login Page
