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The Transient Key. How does one make use of it?

peregrineperegrine MVP
edited June 2012 in Vanilla 2.0 - 2.8

Can anybody provide some info on how, when and why to access the transient key. or direct me to some docs. Just a simple example would suffice.

I may not provide the completed solution you might desire, but I do try to provide honest suggestions to help you solve your issue.

Best Answer

Answers

  • Looks like it is used for session control

  • What? What transient key?

  • businessdadbusinessdad Stealth contributor MVP

    Excellent answer from @Kasper. To add an example, here's how you can use the transient key.

    In the view:

    $TransientKey = Gdn::Session()->TransientKey();
    $this->Form->Hidden('TransientKey', array('value' => $TransientKey));
    

    Then, in the controller, when data is POSTed back:

    $TransientKey = $Sender->Form->GetFormValue('TransientKey');
    if(Gdn::Session()->ValidateTransientKey($TransientKey)) {
      // Transient key is valid, go on
    }
    else {
      // Transient key is not valid, halt
    }
    
  • Transient key is sometimes erroneously called nonce (number used once), a concept used in cryptography and security.

    The reality is transient keys persist and nonces are discarded after a single use. Nevertheless often you get in frameworks, function that refer to nonce when it is transient key that it is using (e.g wp_nonce_field);

    grep is your friend.

  • businessdadbusinessdad Stealth contributor MVP

    @x00 said:
    Transient key is sometimes erroneously called nonce (number used once)

    That's the Humpty Dumpty rule. "When I use a word," Humpty Dumpty said, in rather a scornful tone, "it means just what I choose it to mean - neither more nor less." :)

    It's the same when your manager tells you to work on X instead of Y, and then he tells you that "instead of" meant "and also on".

  • 50sQuiff50sQuiff ✭✭
    edited October 2013

    Testing

  • hgtonighthgtonight ∞ · New Moderator

    Just to add to @businessdad's excellent example, using a form's AuthenticatedPostBack() method checks the transient key for validity as well.

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