org.apache.cocoon.webapps.authentication.components
Interface Authenticator

All Known Implementing Classes:

PipelineAuthenticator, ServletAuthenticator

public interface Authenticator

Verify if a user can be authenticated. An authenticator can implement all the usual component lifecycle interfaces and gets the information set. An authenticator must be implemented in a thread safe manner!

Version:

CVS $Id: Authenticator.java 30941 2004-07-29 19:56:58Z vgritsenko $

Author:

Carsten Ziegeler

Nested Class Summary

static class

Authenticator.AuthenticationResult This object describes the success or the failure of an attempt to authenticate a user.

Method Summary

Authenticator.AuthenticationResult	authenticate(HandlerConfiguration configuration, SourceParameters parameters) Try to authenticate the user.
void	logout(UserHandler handler) This notifies the authenticator that a user logs out of the given handler.

Method Detail

authenticate

public Authenticator.AuthenticationResult authenticate(HandlerConfiguration configuration,
                                                       SourceParameters parameters)
                                                throws ProcessingException

Try to authenticate the user.

Returns:

A AuthenticationResult that is either valid (authentication successful) or invalid (authentication failed.

Throws:

ProcessingException - Only if an error occurs

logout

public void logout(UserHandler handler)

This notifies the authenticator that a user logs out of the given handler. After the authenticator is notified, the AuthenticationManager removes the authentication context, eventually the session etc.