Website Log-in* WTF



  • I was asked to write PHP* scripts, matching the .jpeg-style design* for a company that has something to do with estates' database. Jpegs* came from the guy who was between* me and the exact contractor. Along with jpegs I've got some guidelines, such us "content of the website should available only to registered users" and "this 'contact' sub-page content should be left blank for now, until will have the adress, text, and nice design for it, but it will be* 'just a static html so it's no problem'".

    That being said I've coded entire page using 'front controller paradigm*' and all content was available only through index.php witch obviously presented nice 'please log-in' to everyone unknown.

    It was just a hunch, but I thought it's a bit strange to not give any clue to the newcomers, how to log in, but...after the 'new design' of 'contact' sub-page arrived, everything started to make 'sense'*.

    As you might guessed (since it's WTF about log-in) the contact sub-page design consisted of user agreement disclaimer and contact form for newcomers who wish to apply* to administrator for user-name and password.

    (Yes, since whole web-page content was available only for already registered users it was completely inaccessible and pointless)*

    It was so b**nf**ed, I haven't noticed it until I've finished coding this sub-page (I've just copy&pasted the boring text and field names without thinking what it was all about*) so only after displaying the page in browser to see if the layout was OK, I went through the text for the first time, and gone "WTF?!" loud. It's really so strange feeling when you are the 'author' of the WTF...

    (and yeah, that's the same web-page for which I was asked to copy the look&feel of select-box seen at http://www.realestate.com.au/cgi-bin/rsearch?a=sf&s=qld&t=ren&snf=rbs  (come on, and play a bit by selecting and 'deselecting' some items! cool*! ...isn't it?...))

    *) the parts, that I decided to mark as WTF-clue(les)s



  • What?



  • The real WTF is the original post.



  • I've never seen so much punctuation in a page of text in my life.

    And, uh...........I didn't understand any part of that.



  • Not to be rude but you need to include some articles ('the', 'a', 'some') in your post.  Example: "I've coded the entire page".  And the asterisks are a little distracting.

    So I'll agree with rmr:  What?



  • So, I'll cut it short: the design of the web-page required valid user and password in order to have access to the sub-page where you can apply for user and password.

    'a','the','some' :) Does it help?:)

     



  • Well, I'd like to say sorry to anyone offended by my post. Obviously, English is not my mother tongue (the C++ is my native language), but it is not an excuse. I'd like to promise, that I won't repeat these errors and try harder to avoid them, but I can't - just like you cannot understand the text after removing meaningless (to me) articles - I cannot understand where to place them and why to do so (that's just a difference in my brain wiring and imprinting in early childhood, I suppose:) ). Yes I know the grammar and punctuation rules, but it doesn't mean that I _feel_ them. It's not that I'm retarded or need special care from you. I just wanted to share my experience with some wicked PHP design...but failed to communicate it...I feel sorry about that, and try to restrain myself from posting again, until I master in some more advanced tool than google-toolbar-spell-checker:)

    I like to read your comments people, and maybe it will be better for the world if I limit my forum activities to reading, to spare some wtfness for a future use. Meanwhile use goggles for reading:)



  • Actually the sign up appeared to work normally.  I used
    test@test.com and supplied a password.  It brought me to a page
    thanking me for signing up.  I am assuming an email was sent to
    that address and I am now a valid user.  The WTF in that design is
    in the useability of the new registration not in the functionality of
    it.



  • I believe I understood this:

    ".jpeg-style design" Translation: they sent him screenshots.
    The guy between him and the contractor: probably another level of management / manglement.
    The contact sub-page, like every other page, is behind the login page and not available unless you are already registered.  You must log in to view ANY page, according to what he is told to do.
    The contact sub-page is supposedly "static HTML"

    He then learns:

    The contact sub-page is so that users can contact the administrator and register to use the system. (Which means it's most likely not static HTML if there's any sort of form fields on it.)

    He's remarking that due to the bad design parameters he was given, he created his own WTF.

    I hope he fixes it. :)



  • Re: signup

    @DrMindHacker said:

    Actually the sign up appeared to work normally.  I used test@test.com and supplied a password.  It brought me to a page thanking me for signing up.  I am assuming an email was sent to that address and I am now a valid user.  The WTF in that design is in the useability of the new registration not in the functionality of it.

    Well, what URL did you use for signup? I haven't put any information about my webpage, only the URL leading to http://www.realestate.com.au, which has nothing to do with my site (but was provided to me as an example of 'nice' selectbox behaviour). I'd prefer to keep the URL leading to my website private as long as the login mechanizm is completely redesigned.



  • @Benanov said:

    I believe I understood this:

    ".jpeg-style design" Translation: they sent him screenshots.
    The guy between him and the contractor: probably another level of management / manglement.
    The contact sub-page, like every other page, is behind the login page and not available unless you are already registered.  You must log in to view ANY page, according to what he is told to do.
    The contact sub-page is supposedly "static HTML"

    He then learns:

    The contact sub-page is so that users can contact the administrator and register to use the system. (Which means it's most likely not static HTML if there's any sort of form fields on it.)

    He's remarking that due to the bad design parameters he was given, he created his own WTF.

    I hope he fixes it. :)

    Excellent:) That's exactly what I wanted to write, but somehow, I got it wrong;) Except: this guy isn't any manager, he's someone that knows how to draw nice design in Photoshop, and how to do the smooth-talking with the actual company paying for this site. However designing of the layout in Photoshop requires a bit different set of skills than designing the page logic...so something went wrong (I'm not sure, whose fault is that, maybe the company had presented the guy with contradictory requirements, or maybe he came out with this by himself, either way I believe it's fixed now)


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