Susan, here’s how you and your team can do it.  There are two main ways to automagically enter passwords into sites that don’t recognize IPs using EZproxy.  If you don’t use EZproxy, it could be tougher.

 

Unfortunately, it’s not a one-size-fits-all thing – it takes some fiddling around with the HTML of the problem site.

1.       Passing GET or POST variables to the site using the FormVariable configuration directive

2.       Using Find & Replace to insert the password into the form field, and adding javascript code that “clicks” the submit button after pageload

Details on both of these methods: http://paulstainthorp.com/2013/07/12/how-to-create-ezproxy-stanzas-for-passworded-resources/

 

Both of these methods are prone to failure when a website changes its layout, even in tiny ways behind the scenes that you can’t easily detect!  As it’s a moving target, requiring regular testing and maintenance, I push back whenever a resource says they can’t do IP authentication.

 

Note the discussion of ExcludeIP in Paul’s description of Method #2 – if you use AutoLoginIP rather than ExcludeIP for on-campus traffic it’s a non-issue.

 

I’ve done these on a few resources, and can answer basic questions off-list. There are experts on the EZproxy listserv, a great resource to consult: http://www.oclc.org/support/services/ezproxy/documentation/list.en.html

 

 

 

We cancelled them all.

 

I used to hear rumors of some library or other that programmed the password to be entered automatically and invisibly, as soon as the patron clicked on the resource, if the patron had logged into the library’s web site.   But I never met anyone who said, “Sure, we do that, and we can tell your tech people how they can do it, too!”

 

It certainly seems, from my non-techie perspective, like it should be possible, and not that difficult either – I’ve had mere macros do things that seemed more complicated.  But then, in the back-end, there always seem to be bugs and difficulties arising, that aren’t apparent to outsiders.

 

Anybody have actual first-hand experience with such a back-end solution?

 

 

Susan Wishnetsky

Galter Health Sciences Library

Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University

303 East Chicago Avenue

Chicago, Illinois  60611

Phone: 312-503-9351  | FAX 312-503-2678

E-mail: pasiphae@northwestern.edu

 

 

 

 

Hi everyone,

 

I would like to find out how you all handle electronic resources that are not IP supported and require a login for access. 

 

We can force all users trying to access the resource to authenticate through the proxy, but a login is still required.  How do you supply the login information to authorized users without others being able to see it as well? 

 

I feel like this is something I should already know….but I don’t! 

 

Thanks,

Carol

 

Carol D. Green, Associate Professor
Serials Librarian
University Libraries

The University of Southern Mississippi
118 College Drive #5053
Hattiesburg, MS  39406-0001
Phone:  601-266-4476

 

 

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