com.plumtree.remote.portlet
Interface ICredentialProvider

public interface ICredentialProvider

ICredentialProvider is an interface for retrieving the username and password for a backend application that were sent to the portlet in the headers. It provides methods for configuring the credential location and type if a config file cannot be used. In most cases a config file should be used, and the values in the config file will override anything set via the set methods in this interface.

Using ICredentialProvider allows portlet developers to retrieve the username and password from the headers in 3 lines of code, no matter how that information is being passed. It also allows the following modifications without ever having to change your code or re-compile: change the method of passing credentials, switch from basic auth to a preference value, upgrade from portal version 5.0.x to 6.0.x, make use of the Credential Vault, change encryption methods, or even change the encryption key. Only settings in the web.xml file need to be updated.

The following sample code shows how easy it is to retrieve the username and password when using a config file:

 // Get an ICredentialProvider instance from the IPortletContext
 IPortletContext portletContext = PortletContextFactory.createPortletContext(req, resp);
 ICredentialProvider cProvider = portletContext.getCredentialProvider();
 
 // get the username and password
 String username = cProvider.getUsername();
 String password = cProvider.getPassword();
 

Even in the case where a config file cannot be used, using ICredentialProvider can still save developers from having to deal with cipher utilities.

Extracting the username and password when they are passed from the Credential Vault in version 6.0.x still requires very few lines of code, as illustrated in the following example code:

 // Get an ICredentialProvider instance from the IPortletContext
 IPortletContext portletContext = PortletContextFactory.createPortletContext(req, resp);
 ICredentialProvider cProvider = portletContext.getCredentialProvider();
 
 // set the RSA private key used to decrypt the password; this value could
 // normally be read from the config file
 cProvider.setPrivateKey(rsaPrivateKeyString);
 
 // get the username and password
 String username = cProvider.getUsername();
 String password = cProvider.getPassword();
 

When working with a 5.0.x portal without the Credential Vault, it is necessary to define all the parameters that indicate how the credentials are being passed to the portlet.

The following example code retrieves the username and password when they are being sent as user prefs with the parameter names DCTMUsername and DCTMPassword, and the password is RC2 encrypted:

 // Get an ICredentialProvider instance from the IPortletContext
 IPortletContext portletContext = PortletContextFactory.createPortletContext(req, resp);
 ICredentialProvider cProvider = portletContext.getCredentialProvider();
 
 // set the header type and parameter names; these values could normally be
 // read from the config file
 cProvider.setCredentialSettingType(SettingType.User);
 cProvider.setUsernameParameterName("DCTMUsername");
 cProvider.setPasswordParameterName("DCTMPassword");
 
 // set the encryption type and key; these values could normally be
 // read from the config file
 cProvider.setCredentialEncryptionType(EncryptionType.RC2);
 cProvider.setPrivateKey("skiroblbpauwyryrhfvnmsl");
 
 // get the username and password
 String username = cProvider.getUsername();
 String password = cProvider.getPassword();
 

Method Summary

CredentialSource	getCredentialSource() Returns the source of the credentials as a CredentialSource object.
java.lang.String	getPassword() Returns the decrypted password for a backend application.
java.lang.String	getUsername() Returns the username for a backend application.
void	setCredentialEncryptionType(EncryptionType type) Specifies the type of encryption used to encrypt the password that was sent to the portlet.
void	setCredentialSettingType(SettingType type) Specifies which type of setting is being used to pass the credentials to the portlet.
void	setPasswordParameterName(java.lang.String paramName) Specifies the name of the setting that contains the password for the backend application.
void	setPrivateKey(java.lang.String key) Specifies the private key to use to decrypt the encrypted password that was sent to the portlet.
void	setUsernameParameterName(java.lang.String paramName) Specifies the name of the setting that contains the username for the backend application.

Method Detail

getUsername

public java.lang.String getUsername()

Returns the username for a backend application. The value is extracted from the headers sent to the portlet.

Returns:

the username from the headers

getPassword

public java.lang.String getPassword()

Returns the decrypted password for a backend application. The value is extracted from the headers sent to the portlet.

Returns:

the decrypted password from the headers

setCredentialSettingType

public void setCredentialSettingType(SettingType type)

Specifies which type of setting is being used to pass the credentials to the portlet. This value is used only if it is not specified in a config file (web.xml). Settings in the config file override anything set with this method.

The config file parameter for this setting is CredentialSettingType.

Parameters:

type - the type of setting being used to send credentials to the portlet

setUsernameParameterName

public void setUsernameParameterName(java.lang.String paramName)

Specifies the name of the setting that contains the username for the backend application. This value is used only if it is not specified in a config file (web.xml). Settings in the config file override anything set with this method.

The config file parameter for this setting is UsernameParameterName.

Parameters:

paramName - the name of the username setting

setPasswordParameterName

public void setPasswordParameterName(java.lang.String paramName)

Specifies the name of the setting that contains the password for the backend application. This value is used only if it is not specified in a config file (web.xml). Settings in the config file override anything set with this method.

The config file parameter for this setting is PasswordParameterName.

Parameters:

paramName - the name of the password setting

setCredentialEncryptionType

public void setCredentialEncryptionType(EncryptionType type)

Specifies the type of encryption used to encrypt the password that was sent to the portlet. This value is used only if it is not specified in a config file (web.xml). Settings in the config file override anything set with this method.

The config file parameter for this setting is CredentialEncryptionType.

Parameters:

type - the type of encryption

setPrivateKey

public void setPrivateKey(java.lang.String key)

Specifies the private key to use to decrypt the encrypted password that was sent to the portlet. The CredentialEncryptionType must be set with the setCredentialEncryptionType method. This value is used only if it is not specified in a config file (web.xml). Settings in the config file override anything set with this method.

The config file parameter for this setting depends on the type of encryption being used, and can be one of the following: RSAPrivateKey, RC2PrivateKey, or AESPrivateKey.

Parameters:

key - the key used for decryption

getCredentialSource

public CredentialSource getCredentialSource()

Returns the source of the credentials as a CredentialSource object.

Returns:

the source of the user's credentials