Proposal - Migrate Login Page out of about.

[Neilk1021]

What we're proposing

Currently, the login page is nested inside the about page, with the default return page being the about page. Given we want to add more login sources this current nested setup will be hard to migrate. Instead, we should have a dedicated log-in page similar to overleaf and other domain specialized applications. Current prototype in my own working branch can be seen bellow.

Why?

This a general push to make the site more user friendly, even without multiple login sources the current approach is cluttered and disorganized. The attention of the current about page is on the about section, making the current login feel like an after thought.

Needed sub changes:

• Move the filter's default page for someone not signed in to this new log-in page.
• Extract out log-in from the current about page.

Questions:

• Is this layout fine or are there any modifications we want?

[zyratlo]

The dedicated login page is a good direction. As a standalone login it works fine, and it gets login out of the About page like you said.

My one comment, it currently reads like a generic template. It's a centered card that could belong to any app, which is a good baseline, but the reason it's being migrated (to my understanding) is that login feels like an afterthought, and a stock card just relocates that problem. Since we're building this from scratch, it's worth asking what a Texera login should feel like.

Overleaf and GitLab put the form on one side and a branded panel on the other. There is a lot of empty background around a narrow card right now, that panel is space we could use to actually say what Texera is. The panel could hold a workflow canvas or an example pipeline, so a first-time visitor sees what they're signing into before they log in.

Is the goal just to move login to its own route, or do we want it to be a proper front door for Texera? That changes how far we should take the design.

[Neilk1021]

This is fair, this specific screenshot was mostly a prototype view for my fork adding support to multiple authentication sources so the log-in is a bit generic at the moment and I'm down to improve on it.

[sshiv012]

A dedicated login route makes sense. If it hasn’t been considered already, it might be helpful to preserve the original route when login is triggered from a protected workflow link, so the user returns there after signing in. It may also be worth deciding whether logout should lead to Login, About, or another public page.

[chenlica]

Here's a bit background about how the login feature evolved over time. Initially the system had a single login page using its own backend database of users. Later it added a feature of "Google Login." Now it's a good time to unify them, and support other authentication services.

We can learn from other online services and come up with a new design.

[aglinxinyuan]

I explained the history of the login feature in a related discussion: #6559 (comment)

The terminology isn't 100% accurate, but it should provide everyone with the overall picture and the rationale behind how the login system evolved.