How to store custom data in ASP.NET Membership Cookie

Question

Can anyone give me an example (or point me in the right direction) on how to store custom data in an ASP.NET Membership cookie?

I need to add some custom properties like UserID and URLSlug to the cookie and be able to retrieve the information in the same way one would retrieve the Username.

Edit:

I used Code Poet's example and came up with the following.

When I set a breakpoint at Dim SerializedUser As String = SerializeUser(userData) the value of userData is right. It has all the properties I expect it to have.

The problem I'm now running into is that when I get to Dim userdata As String = authTicket.UserData (breakpoint), the value is "". I'd love to figure out what I'm doing wrong.

Here's the code.

Imports System
Imports System.Web
Imports System.Web.Security

Namespace Utilities.Authentication
    Public NotInheritable Class CustomAuthentication
        Private Sub New()
        End Sub

        Public Shared Function CreateAuthCookie(ByVal userName As String, ByVal userData As Domain.Models.UserSessionModel, ByVal persistent As Boolean) As HttpCookie

            Dim issued As DateTime = DateTime.Now
            ''# formsAuth does not expose timeout!? have to hack around the
            ''# spoiled parts and keep moving..
            Dim fooCookie As HttpCookie = FormsAuthentication.GetAuthCookie("foo", True)
            Dim formsTimeout As Integer = Convert.ToInt32((fooCookie.Expires - DateTime.Now).TotalMinutes)

            Dim expiration As DateTime = DateTime.Now.AddMinutes(formsTimeout)
            Dim cookiePath As String = FormsAuthentication.FormsCookiePath

            Dim SerializedUser As String = SerializeUser(userData)

            Dim ticket = New FormsAuthenticationTicket(0, userName, issued, expiration, True, SerializedUser, cookiePath)
            Return CreateAuthCookie(ticket, expiration, persistent)
        End Function

        Public Shared Function CreateAuthCookie(ByVal ticket As FormsAuthenticationTicket, ByVal expiration As DateTime, ByVal persistent As Boolean) As HttpCookie
            Dim creamyFilling As String = FormsAuthentication.Encrypt(ticket)
            Dim cookie = New HttpCookie(FormsAuthentication.FormsCookieName, creamyFilling) With { _
             .Domain = FormsAuthentication.CookieDomain, _
             .Path = FormsAuthentication.FormsCookiePath _
            }
            If persistent Then
                cookie.Expires = expiration
            End If

            Return cookie
        End Function


        Public Shared Function RetrieveAuthUser() As Domain.Models.UserSessionModel
            Dim cookieName As String = FormsAuthentication.FormsCookieName
            Dim authCookie As HttpCookie = HttpContext.Current.Request.Cookies(cookieName)
            Dim authTicket As FormsAuthenticationTicket = FormsAuthentication.Decrypt(authCookie.Value)
            Dim userdata As String = authTicket.UserData

            Dim usersessionmodel As New Domain.Models.UserSessionModel
            usersessionmodel = DeserializeUser(userdata)
            Return usersessionmodel
        End Function


        Private Shared Function SerializeUser(ByVal usersessionmodel As Domain.Models.UserSessionModel) As String
            Dim bf As New Runtime.Serialization.Formatters.Binary.BinaryFormatter()
            Dim mem As New IO.MemoryStream
            bf.Serialize(mem, usersessionmodel)
            Return Convert.ToBase64String(mem.ToArray())
        End Function

        Private Shared Function DeserializeUser(ByVal serializedusersessionmodel As String) As Domain.Models.UserSessionModel
            Dim bf As New Runtime.Serialization.Formatters.Binary.BinaryFormatter()
            Dim mem As New IO.MemoryStream(Convert.FromBase64String(serializedusersessionmodel))
            Return DirectCast(bf.Deserialize(mem), Domain.Models.UserSessionModel)
        End Function
    End Class
End Namespace

Here's where I create all the magic. This method is in a "BaseController" class that inherits System.Web.Mvc.Controller

Protected Overrides Function CreateActionInvoker() As System.Web.Mvc.IActionInvoker

            If User.Identity.IsAuthenticated Then ''# this if statement will eventually also check to make sure that the cookie actually exists.

                Dim sessionuser As Domain.Models.UserSessionModel = New Domain.Models.UserSessionModel(OpenIdService.GetOpenId(HttpContext.User.Identity.Name).User)
                HttpContext.Response.Cookies.Add(UrbanNow.Core.Utilities.Authentication.CustomAuthentication.CreateAuthCookie(HttpContext.User.Identity.Name, sessionuser, True))
            End If
End Function

And here's how I try and retrieve the info.

 Dim user As Domain.Models.UserSessionModel = CustomAuthentication.RetrieveAuthUser

Answer 1

First of all ASP.Net Membership providers don't write any cookies, Authentication cookies are written by FormsAuthentication.

And secondly, why interfere into authentication cookie at all. You can do this in a seperate cookie altogether. Here's how you can do that.

Writing the keys-values into cookie.

//create a cookie
HttpCookie myCookie = new HttpCookie("myCookie");

//Add key-values in the cookie
myCookie.Values.Add("UserId", "your-UserId");
myCookie.Values.Add("UrlSlug", "your-UrlSlug");

//set cookie expiry date-time, if required. Made it to last for next 12 hours.
myCookie.Expires = DateTime.Now.AddHours(12);

//Most important, write the cookie to client.
Response.Cookies.Add(myCookie);

Reading the keys-values from cookie.

//Assuming user comes back after several hours. several < 12.
//Read the cookie from Request.
HttpCookie myCookie = Request.Cookies["myCookie"];
if (myCookie == null)
{
    //No cookie found or cookie expired.
    //Handle the situation here, Redirect the user or simply return;
}

//ok - cookie is found.
//Gracefully check if the cookie has the key-value as expected.
if (!string.IsNullOrEmpty(myCookie.Values["UserId"]))
{
    string UserId= myCookie.Values["UserId"].ToString();
    //Yes UserId is found. Mission accomplished.
}

if (!string.IsNullOrEmpty(myCookie.Values["UrlSlug"]))
{
    string UrlSlug = myCookie.Values["UrlSlug"].ToString();
    //Yes key2 is found. Mission accomplished.
}

If at all you need to disturb the authentication cookie, though not advisable, This is how you may do it.

Writing the keys-values into cookie.

//create a cookie
HttpCookie myCookie = FormsAuthentication.GetAuthCookie("UserName", true);

//Add key-values in the cookie
myCookie.Values.Add("UserId", "your-UserId");
myCookie.Values.Add("UrlSlug", "your-UrlSlug");

//set cookie expiry date-time, if required. Made it to last for next 12 hours.
myCookie.Expires = DateTime.Now.AddHours(12);

//Most important, write the cookie to client.
Response.Cookies.Add(myCookie);

Reading the keys-values from cookie.

//Assuming user comes back after several hours. several < 12.
//Read the cookie from Request.
HttpCookie myCookie = Request.Cookies[FormsAuthentication.FormsCookieName];
if (myCookie == null)
{
    //No cookie found or cookie expired.
    //Handle the situation here, Redirect the user or simply return;
}

//ok - cookie is found.
//Gracefully check if the cookie has the key-value as expected.
if (!string.IsNullOrEmpty(myCookie.Values["UserId"]))
{
    string UserId= myCookie.Values["UserId"].ToString();
    //Yes UserId is found. Mission accomplished.
}

if (!string.IsNullOrEmpty(myCookie.Values["UrlSlug"]))
{
    string UrlSlug = myCookie.Values["UrlSlug"].ToString();
    //Yes key2 is found. Mission accomplished.
}

Answer 2

Depending on the scenario, using a separate cookie might be a viable option, but in my opinion is sub optimal for several reasons including the simple fact that you have to manage multiple cookies as well as managing the lifetime of the cookie.

The most reliable strategy for incorporating custom information into your forms ticket is to leverage the userData field of the ticket. That is exactly what it is there for.

You can easily store custom data in the userData field of the ticket.

There are a few concerns to be aware of regarding the size of the data to be stored in the ticket that are explained here

And here is a small class that can help in the task of storing custom data in your forms ticket.