Handling login errors with User Class

Question

We have a User class which handles all things related to users within a Content Management System. As you'd expect, the class contains a function login(). This function accepts three arguments: $username, $password and $remember (the latter defaulting to true).

My question is: what is the best way to handle login errors so that they can be displayed to the user? We're using a custom MVC model here, so we have controllers and views that need to remain abstract from the class itself. I have identified the following possible solutions:

1. Return signed integers from the login() function that can be interpreted inside the controller.
2. Add a variable to the User object containing the error message in plain text
3. Output the error directly from within the function call

Point 3 is moot, since we won't be doing that (coupling output with a class == bad).

Point 2 seems to be the most logical, but will make multi-language (a feature that may well be added later) difficult. For example, we might do something like this:

class User
{
    public $loginError;

    public function login($username, $password, $remember = true)
    {
        if($password !== $ourStoredPassword)
        {
            $this->loginError = 'Password does not match';
            return false;
        }
    }
}

I think the best option is #1. For example, we could do this inside the Class:

class User
{
    public function login($username, $password, $remember = true)
    {
        if($password !== $ourStoredPassword)
        {
            return -1;
        }
    }
}

Then inside our controller, just look at the return value from login(), and handle it therein. What are people's thoughts? Is there a better way to tackle this?

Answer 1

Why not create a series of Exception objects for Login Errors such as UserNotFoundException and PasswordIncorrectException.

You can then throw the exceptions within your login method when something fails.

You should then catch this Exception within your Controller and show the output to the user as appropriate. This approach removes the coupling between the error and the message you wish to display.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exception_handling

Answer 2

When it comes to user login errors I recommend a simple true/false return value.

By giving additional information above and beyond either success or failure, you tell potential malicious users what names are associated with the system (by continuously guessing names and logging the error results). If email addresses can be used as a login you'd risk letting spambots scan your system for valid email addresses.

Additionally, this helps adhere to the KISS principle; the less moving parts you have the less likely things are to break later. If you program several things around a verbose error system and you decide to change it later, it could break in other areas.

By having the system return "username or password incorrect" people know to double-check their information. And since it should wipe the password between attempts users will only get to double-check the name anyway.