MVC 4 template with custom membership provider

Question

What I'm wanting to do is use the default MVC 4 template that just shipped with Visual Studio 2012 as base for my new project. However I want to replace the SQL provider with custom membership provider so I can access my RavenDB to get my users. I've implemented the custom provider as I have before but the WebSecurity methods are throwing the following exception.

This line of code:

ViewBag.HasLocalPassword = OAuthWebSecurity.HasLocalAccount(WebSecurity.GetUserId(User.Identity.Name));

Specifically the method:

WebSecurity.GetUserId

Is throwing this exception:

You must call the "WebSecurity.InitializeDatabaseConnection" method before you call any other method of the "WebSecurity" class. This call should be placed in an _AppStart.cshtml file in the root of your site.

Now I cannot call InitializeDatabaseConnection because my provider isn't a SQL provider. This method expects a SQL provider and a SQL connection string. Is this a common problem or am I missing something? Why does WebSecurity have to be initialized and why does it expect to only be connected using a SQL provider?

Am I going to have to just change the code to not use the WebSecurity class?

I've been at this all day and I'm pretty tired. I hope I haven't overlooked something simple. Maybe one more rum and coke will help...

Update: 08/19/2012

I decompiled the GetUserId method and found the only reason it's failing is because of the VerifyProvider call.

public static int GetUserId(string userName)
{
    WebSecurity.VerifyProvider();
    MembershipUser user = Membership.GetUser(userName);
    if (user == null)
        return -1;
    else
        return (int) user.ProviderUserKey;
}

private static ExtendedMembershipProvider VerifyProvider()
{
    ExtendedMembershipProvider membershipProvider = Membership.Provider as ExtendedMembershipProvider;

    if (membershipProvider == null)
        throw new InvalidOperationException(WebDataResources.Security_NoExtendedMembershipProvider);

    membershipProvider.VerifyInitialized();
    return membershipProvider;
}

Now the only reason it's failing in the VerifyProvider method is because of the call to VerifyInitialized which I cannot override in my membership provider. Also if it's not calling my provider then I'm not sure what code is being called when VerifyInitialized is processed.

internal virtual void VerifyInitialized()
{
}

I'm removing all the other membership providers in the Web.Config. At least I think I am. Here is the entry.

<membership defaultProvider="RavenMembershipProvider">
    <providers>
        <clear />
        <add name="RavenMembershipProvider" type="BigGunsGym.Infrastructure.Providers.RavenMembershipProvider" />
    </providers>
</membership>

Solution 1

Turns out I had my provider inheriting from SimpleMembershipProvider instead of ExtendedMembershipProvider. I thought it would be OK since SimpleMembershipProvider inherits ExtendedMembershipProvider but it did not work.

After changing my provider to inherit from ExtendedMembershipProvider the error went away.

Solution 2

I also had the same problem, after creating a new Action to create users....

action was...

public ActionResult CreateUsers()
{
string username = "blah blah auto create";
string password = "blah blah auto create";
WebSecurity.CreateUserAndAccount(username, password);
}

but it just needed the filter attrib adding

[InitializeSimpleMembership]
public ActionResult CreateUsers()
{
string username = "blah blah auto create";
string password = "blah blah auto create";
WebSecurity.CreateUserAndAccount(username, password);
}

Comments

[brad oyler]

Were u able to "Implement" OAuthWebSecurity? I noticed it is not an abstract class, but was hoping there's a way to do so.

[Bobby Cannon]

I ended up not using RavenDB because we started hosting in Azure and using SQL. When I did have it working I decided to not implement the MembershipProvider model. It was way too much of a pain to attempt to get it working. We just don't have the time to fight it.

[lc.]

This won't solve anything because it expects a SQL Server connection string I believe

[dave heywood]

The SimpleMembershipInitializer filter accepts a connection string in the WebSecurity.InitializeDatabaseConnection(), my problem wasn't that it didn't have a connection string, but instead the db wasn't being initialised as the call was being carried out to create the accounts.. I'll leave this here as it may be help for others finding the error above on Google as I did.