The ECN No Name Newsletter is no longer being published. This is an archived issue.

PH: ECN's Web Interface

NO NAME NEWSLETTER -- May 1996

Kyler Laird

As outlined in the accompanying article, PH: Reasons For Use, it is important for you to maintain your PH data. In order to make changing PH data easier, the ECN has developed a Web interface to Purdue's PH database.

1. Calling The Web Interface

Get started by pointing your Web browser at http://www.ecn.purdue.edu/PH/show . Since PH does not know who you are from your ECN login, you will first need to find your PH entry.

2. Asking To See Your Information

When you go to the "show" page, you will be asked for identification. You have several options. Your alias and qualified name are the better identifiers since they are guaranteed to be unique. Most people don't know these fields, though, so you may also use your first and last name. If you do this, you will be presented with a list of every entry that matches what you entered. There will be a button for each entry which contains the qualified name for that entry. Select the entry which is yours in order to bring up your full PH information page.

Example using first name and last name lookup

Example of lookup matches.

3. Reviewing Your Information

When you get to your PH information page, you will see a definition list of every field. Beside the field name, you will see the field description and a link for help on that field. If the field is one that you are allowed to modify via the Web, there will also be a change link.

fax: fax telephone number [help] [change]

empty

The current value for this field will be in the line below. Many of your fields will not be set yet. Those fields will be marked empty . Your password will be marked private since it can never be displayed.

4. Getting Your Password

Before you can change your information, you will need to know your PH password.

Students' passwords are initialized to their SSINFO passwords by the Registrar.
Faculty and staff can request that their passwords be sent to them via campus mail by selecting the request a password button at the bottom of their information pages or using the series of forms starting at
http://www.ecn.purdue.edu/PH/request .

5. Changing Your Information

To change field values, first note the value of your "alias" field, then select the change link on the title line of the field you want to change. You will be prompted for your PH username (PH alias) and PH password.

Enter the value that you want in the field and select change . After a slight delay, you should return to your info page with the updated in formation.

fax: fax telephone number [help] [change]

+1 765 49-43356

Suggested Changes

To get started, try changing these fields. Some of them are dependent on each other, so the order in which they are chan ged is important.

Alias

"alias" should be set to a 6-8 character identifier that you will use for the Web, e-mail, and authentication. You will probably want to set your alias to be the same as your ECN login, but this is not necessary. If you change your alias, your authorization will fail the next time you try to change a PH value (because your authorization is based on your alias). Just enter your new alias and (old) password again.

Password

You'll probably want to change your "password" to something that you can remember easily. When you change it, you will be prompted for it twice and neither field will display on your screen. After you change it, you will need to reauthenticate in order to make any further changes.

Nickname

"nickname" helps people who search for your entry. If your name is Michael, but you are commonly called "Mike," put Mike in your nickname field.

Office

Changing your "office" will allow people and mail to find you. If your "building" is incorrect, include it in your "office." Be careful to use the correct building codes, such as CIVL 123 ; if you are unsure of the code for your building, it is on page 14 of the 1995-1996 Purdue telephone book.

Fax

If you have access to a FAX machine, make sure to set your "fax" field. Use the same international format that is used for your office phone, this is an example: +1 765 49-43356

Service

Perhaps the most important field that you can set is your "service" field. Make this point to your ECN account by changing the value from reject to something like forward login@ecn.purdue.edu . After having done this, anyone can send mail to you using your alias or quali fied name at purdue.edu. (I can be reached at kyler@purdue.edu and kyler.b.laird.1@purdue.edu, but my mail goes to laird@ecn.purdue.edu.) After changing your service, change your advertised electronic mail address ("email") to your new simple e-mail address. Mine is kyler@purdue.edu .

URL

If you have Web pages, be sure to set your URL. The value can be just about anything, but for maximum flexibility it should point to the root of your documents. Since my personal Web home is currently on pasture, I set my URL to http://pasture.ecn.purdue.edu/~laird/ (The trailing slash is important.) This allows me to use an address like http://www.ecn.purdue.edu/~kyler/ and addresses to refer to my documents on pasture, like http://www.ecn.purdue.edu/~kyler/Electronics/ .

webmaster@ecn.purdue.edu

Last modified: Saturday, 02-Oct-99 10:26:34 EST

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