Hi there,
I am relatively new user to Matrix currently building a new public library website in Dunedin, New Zealand.
One section of the site will be devoted to 'digital resources' which are the e-resources the library pays an annual sub for and offers to it's members to use for free.
These services (e.g. Britannic Online) usually authenticate access via an inbound URL request to them from the library and are kept happy if that request comes in via an acceptable IP address range i.e user is in the library.
On the current library website we offer our users two hyperlinks to click on for each digital resource - 'search from library' and 'search from home'
The first URL links directly to the digital resource and is accepted by the resource as the user is choosing to click on it from a PC in our library (and IP) network - if they try it from home the URL fails and the digital resource says 'your not in the library - try again / pass your login info etc.)
The second URL points the user to a separate remote patron authentication module we run as a stand alone gateway that acts as an identity checker - it asks for user library ID / Pin combo and then passes them onto the digital service they want to access, vouching for their 'library member status' as it does.
… righto… bit of a long winded intro but wanted to lay it out for you.
My question for the new site is:
Rather than offering these two discrete links on a web page for each resource in the future… how can I offer a single smart hyperlink that when the user clicks on it Matrix can direct them to one of two associated URL's?
The vetting method would ideally be the IP address range the request is being made from i.e. is it within the library IP range or making the request from home etc?
Any help greatly appreciated …
Best, Paul.
You need to grant read access to a specific user group first. Then place the Public User assets into this group but put a Group Membership Restriction on them so that they are only a member if they come from an IP range. This takes care of the case where you don't have to log in from internal machines.
Now users outside the IP will need to log in. They will get the default Matrix login box. If you instead want to direct them somewhere else for authentication, you will need to create a custom login design and apply it to your site. In the login design, use some JS to detect if you want to redirect them (maybe based on the current URL) and then redirect them to your other auth service.
This is all I can think of at the moment without development. Plenty of bright people here on the forum though.