Working with Users

Abstract

Users are the reason for using Drupal. Drupal can help users create, collaborate, communicate, and form an online community. In this chapter, we look behind the scenes and see how users are authenticated, logged in, and represented internally. We start with an examination of what the $user object is and how it’s constructed. Then we walk through the process of user registration, user login, and user authentication. We finish by examining how Drupal ties in with existing authentication systems such as Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) and Pubcookie.