Is a created collection automatically cached per session.

Question

Hi,
I am implementing custom security using a PLSQL package. In my LogIn function I create a collection and I store user information. In the IsLoggedIn function I check to see if the collection exists but it does not. I was wondering if when calling create_or_truncate_collection the collection is automatically called in the session.
Thanks,
Bashar

Answer 1

Bashar,
It would be better if you did not try to implement a custom authentication solution at this point. The out-of-the box session management and credentials verification using the wizard-generated login page should meet your needs. If you have your own username/password table, you can call your own function to do that piece of the work only, then let HTML DB handle everything else.
To create the collection, you could add a process to the login page (after the login process), or create a before-header application-level process that fires conditionally when v('APP_USER') <> 'nobody' and the collection does not exist (this will fire it once, but not on the login page). You say you want to avoid "hitting the database every time". Why? Is the initial collection creation step expensive? If not, be aware that each time you access that collection, you will hit the database.
For more detailed explanation of how authentication schemes work, I recommend that you create a few with different built-in/custom component combinations. Then for each one, go to the authentication schemes report and click the popup flowchart view (the magnifying glass icon). Carefully read the narrative that describes the logic flow of each scheme, i.e., what the engine will do at each step, where it uses your custom code and where it uses built-in logic. This will give you the best instruction about how it all works.
Scott