URL variables in Registration Form

[rithera]

Good morning!

I as a little stumped on how to achieve something I would assume would be pretty easy...

I am trying to help pre-fill a few of the registration field based on variables in the URL, but cant seem to figure out where to start.

For example, lets say I want to pre-populate the username and email
username=Test
[email protected]

I want to be able to pass an address like this which would automatically have the two fields filled out when the page loads:
http://forum.someforum.com/index.php?action=register&username=Test&[email protected] [nofollow]

Any insight would be very helpful.

[margarett]

Shoud be easy enough... Find (Register.template.php)

Code Select Expand

<input type="text" name="user" id="smf_autov_username" size="30" tabindex="', $context['tabindex']++, '" maxlength="25" value="', isset($context['username']) ? $context['username'] : '', '" class="input_text" />

Replace with:

Code Select Expand

<input type="text" name="user" id="smf_autov_username" size="30" tabindex="', $context['tabindex']++, '" maxlength="25" value="', isset($context['username']) ? $context['username'] : (!empty($_REQUEST['username']) ? $smcFunc['htmlspecialchars']($_REQUEST['username']) : ''), '" class="input_text" />

Untested, though Backup your file before making changes

[Kindred]

I guess the biggest question is: What are you, specifically, trying to do here?

Passing variables in the URL is not the most efficient nor the most secure way to do things and has implications in both areas...

Depending on what you are actually trying to do and why, we might be able to suggest a better method of pre-filling fields.

[rithera]

Thanks margarett, will give it a try here shortly!

Kindred, here is some more insight:
We have a Windows application that runs locally on a client's machine - completely independent from the forum in every way. However this application has its own login credentials and basic information about the user.

So the idea would be to take some of this information (public information only, no passwords or private information) and create a menu option in that application that would dynamically generate a link to the forum registration page with much of the required fields already filled out.

In a perfect world it would use something like the API and generate an account and sign in for them, but thats a bit more complex and something we may look into at a later time.

[Kindred]

hmmm.....   how does the windows application store the data? (e.g. how would you GET the data from the windows app to put into the URL?)

[rithera]

hmmm.....   how does the windows application store the data? (e.g. how would you GET the data from the windows app to put into the URL?)

The data is stored in local database tables on the client's side.

[rithera]

Shoud be easy enough... Find (Register.template.php)

Code Select Expand

<input type="text" name="user" id="smf_autov_username" size="30" tabindex="', $context['tabindex']++, '" maxlength="25" value="', isset($context['username']) ? $context['username'] : '', '" class="input_text" />

Replace with:

Code Select Expand

<input type="text" name="user" id="smf_autov_username" size="30" tabindex="', $context['tabindex']++, '" maxlength="25" value="', isset($context['username']) ? $context['username'] : (!empty($_REQUEST['username']) ? $smcFunc['htmlspecialchars']($_REQUEST['username']) : ''), '" class="input_text" />

Untested, though Backup your file before making changes

Thanks again! For whatever reason I had problems with htmlspecialchars, so simplifying it (for better or worse) here is how I got it to work...

Code Select Expand

<input type="text" name="user" id="smf_autov_username" size="30" tabindex="', $context['tabindex']++, '" maxlength="25" value="', isset($context['username']) ? $_REQUEST['username'] : '', '" class="input_text" />

[Kindred]

that is definitely a security threat, without the preparse - and could result in invalid usernames because of bad characters...

[margarett]

And that's wrong... The inline if relates different variables... I'll test later.