One application context for many virtual directories in an ASP.NET environment?

Question

I have a bigger ASP.NET based webapplication, which is structured into subwebs (as described on http://weblogs.asp.net/scottgu/archive/2006/08/16/Tip_2F00_Trick_3A00_-Creating-Sub_2D00_Web-Projects-using-the-VS-2005-Web-Application-Project-Option.aspx).

How can I share user specific information (user credentials, other informations) between these subwebs? The point is that the subwebs have all their own virtual directories and therefore different sessions. Are there other possibilities besides cookies to have a shared (user/browser session based) memory?

Answer 1

You can configure the user profiles of ASP.NET membership to store shared user specific information.

Configure your applications in the following way

• use the same membership database
• use the same application name (name of the system.web.forms tag)
• make a single sign on (explicit system.web.machineKey)
• enable user profiles (system.web.profile)