Problem

• OpenID is complex, limited and hard to use for users
• Facebook / Twitter / Myspace / Google / MS-LiveId / AOL connections require different libraries and knowledge
• Multiple heterogenouse providers are hard to map to a single user

Solution

• Use RPX for universal and usable user login
• Use view/controller helpers for easy integration

Usage

• Get an API key @ RPX
• run MIGRATION
• Build login view
• Communicate with RPX API in controller to create or login User
• for more advanced features have a look at the RPX API Docs

Install

• As Rails plugin: script/plugin install git://github.com/grosser/rpx_now.git
• As gem: sudo gem install rpx_now

Examples

View

#'mywebsite' is your subdomain/realm on RPX
<%=RPXNow.embed_code('mywebsite',rpx_token_sessions_url)%>
OR
<%=RPXNow.popup_code('Login here...','mywebsite',rpx_token_sessions_url,:language=>'de')%>

popup_code can also be called with :unobstrusive=>true

Environment

Rails::Initializer.run do |config|
  config.gem "rpx_now"
  ...

  config.after_initialize do # so rake gems:install works
    RPXNow.api_key = "YOU RPX API KEY"
  end
end

Controller

# user_data
# found: {:name=>'John Doe', :username => 'john', :email=>'john@doe.com', :identifier=>'blug.google.com/openid/dsdfsdfs3f3'}
# not found: nil (can happen with e.g. invalid tokens)
def rpx_token
  raise "hackers?" unless data = RPXNow.user_data(params[:token])
  self.current_user = User.find_by_identifier(data[:identifier]) || User.create!(data)
  redirect_to '/'
end

# raw request processing
RPXNow.user_data(params[:token]){|raw| {:email=>raw['profile']['verifiedEmail']} }

# raw request with extended parameters (most users and APIs do not supply them)
RPXNow.user_data(params[:token], :extended=>'true'){|raw| ...have a look at the RPX API DOCS...}

Advanced

Versions

RPXNow.api_version = 2

Mappings

You can map your primary keys (e.g. user.id) to identifiers, so that
users can login to the same account with multiple identifiers.

RPXNow.map(identifier, primary_key) #add a mapping
RPXNow.unmap(identifier, primary_key) #remove a mapping
RPXNow.mappings(primary_key) # [identifier1,identifier2,...]
RPXNow.all_mappings # [["1",['google.com/dsdas','yahoo.com/asdas']], ["2",[...]], ... ]

After a primary key is mapped to an identifier, when a user logs in with this identifier,
RPXNow.user_data will contain his primaryKey as :id.
A identifyer can only belong to one user (in doubt the last one it was mapped to)

User integration (e.g. ActiveRecord)

class User < ActiveRecord::Base
  include RPXNow::UserIntegration
end

user.rpx.identifiers == RPXNow.mappings(user.id)
user.rpx.map(identifier) == RPXNow.map(identifier, user.id)
user.rpx.unmap(identifier) == RPXNow.unmap(identifier, user.id)

Contacts (PRX Pro)

Retrieve all contacts for a given user:

RPXNow.contacts(identifier).each {|c| puts "#{c['displayName']}: #{c['emails']}}

Status updates (PRX Pro)

Send a status update to provider (a tweet/facebook-status/...) :

RPXNow.set_status(identifier, "I just registered at yourdomain.com ...")

TODO

• add provider / credentials helpers ?

Author

Contributors

• Amunds
• DBA
• dbalatero
• jackdempsey
• Patrick Reagan (reagent)

Michael Grosser
grosser.michael@gmail.com
Hereby placed under public domain, do what you want, just do not hold me accountable...