How do I restrict pages from the Live App?

Hey there, Tadabase users! Welcome back to Build It with Tim, where we bring your app ideas to life. Today, we have an exciting topic to cover: how to control page security from the live app. We'll show you how to build this functionality using Tadabase.

So, what's our goal? We want to create a system that allows us to restrict access to certain pages from the live application. In other words, we want to control who can view specific pages based on their status. We'll achieve this by using page rules, pipes, and record IDs.

To give you a quick overview of the process, we'll create a page in the builder that consists of different records representing our pages. Each record will have a title and a status. We'll use the record ID to identify each page. Then, for each page, we'll run a page rule that triggers a pipe, which makes an API call to our own app to check the status of the page. Based on the status, we'll either allow or restrict access to the page.

Let's take a look at the finished product. We'll have a list of pages with their respective statuses. If a page is marked as inactive, visitors will see a message indicating that the page is inactive and won't be able to access it. However, if the page is active, visitors can freely navigate to it.

Now, let's jump into the builder and start building this out together. First, we'll create a page called "Page Security" to manage our page access. We'll add fields for page name, page status, and record ID. The page name and record ID fields are for our reference, while the page status field determines whether a page is active or inactive.

Next, we'll populate the record ID field with the unique ID of each page. This ID helps us identify and fetch the specific page's status. We can populate the field either through a table rule or by adding new pages using a form and record rules.

With our table set up, we'll move on to using pipes. We'll install the Tadabase REST API pipe, which allows us to make API requests to our own app. Inside the pipe, we'll configure the API parameters, including the API key, app ID, and table ID. We'll also set up a "Get a Single Record" call to retrieve the page's status based on the record ID.

Once the pipe is ready, we'll go back to the page builder and set up our page rule. We'll create a rule that shows a message when a page is inactive. We'll use the pipe as a condition and check if the page status is inactive. If it is, the message will be displayed, alerting users that they can't access the page.

That's it! We'll save everything and return to the live app to see the results. Users will now be restricted from accessing inactive pages and only allowed to view active ones.

Remember, by following these steps and leveraging the power of page rules, pipes, and record IDs, you can easily control page security in your live app. Whether you want to restrict certain pages to specific users or create customized access rules, Tadabase has you covered.

Happy building!

Features Discussed:

1. Recodes Ids (Time: 3:45)
   Learn the role and importance of record IDs in managing and referencing data.
2. API Keys (Time: 7:30)
   Learn how to generate and manage API keys for secure access to Tadabase's REST API.
3. Pipes (Time: 8:49)
   Learn how to use pipes to connect and automate external services with your application.
4. Tadabase REST API (Time: 9:00)
   Learn how to interact with Tadabase's REST API to perform various actions programmatically.
5. Page Rule (Time: 13:07)
   Learn how to set up page rules to control visibility and behavior based on specific conditions.

 

---

Transcript Summary

Introduction

What's going on everybody and welcome back to Build It with Tim, where I take your user suggestions and build out cool apps and features live and on the fly. Today, we're going to learn how to restrict pages from the live app, essentially building a system where you can control page access using page status.

Overview

We will create a system where, from the live application, we can restrict access to pages based on their status (active or inactive). This will involve using page rules, pipes, and record IDs.

Finished Product Demo

In the finished product, you'll have a list of pages and their statuses. If you try to visit a page marked as inactive, you'll see a message saying the page is inactive. You can then go back to the page security section, change the status to active, and access the page.

Building the System

Step 1: Create the Admin Security Panel Page

1. Create the Page Security Table

• Fields:
• Page Name: to track pages.
• Page Status: with options "inactive" (red) and "active" (green).
• Record ID: to store the unique ID of each page record.

1. Populate Record ID

• You can use a table rule or form rule to set the Record ID when a record is created or edited.

1. Add Sample Records

• Add sample pages like "Sample Page," "Customers," and "Orders" to test the functionality.

Step 2: Create API Key

1. Generate API Key

• Go to settings, generate a new API key, and save the details.

Step 3: Add the Pipe

1. Install Database REST API Pipe

• Search for the Database REST API pipe and install it.
• Go to global parameters and enter the API information (App ID, App Key, App Secret), then save.

1. Configure the Pipe

• Use the "Get a Single Record" call to retrieve the status of a page.
• Set the default table ID parameter to simplify the setup.

1. Test the Pipe

• Test the pipe using a sample record ID to ensure it retrieves the correct data.

Step 4: Map the API Response

1. Map JSON Structure

• Define the response to extract the page status from the JSON object returned by the API call.

Step 5: Add Page Rules

1. Create Page Rule

• Go to the sample page and add a page rule.
• Configure the rule to show a message ("This page is currently inactive") if the page status is inactive.
• Use the pipe as the condition for the page rule.

Step 6: Testing and Final Adjustments

1. Test the Functionality

• Mark a page as inactive and try to access it. You should see the inactive message.
• Change the status to active and confirm that you can access the page without any message.

1. Inline Editing for Page Status

• Enable inline editing for the page status field to allow quick status changes from the live app.

This system provides a way for administrators to control page access directly from the live app without going back to the builder. However, keep in mind that using the Database REST API for each page visit can consume API limits, especially in high-traffic applications. Use this feature judiciously to manage your API calls effectively.

Thank you for watching Build It with Tim. See you next time, take care!