Home

About Magic Authentication

Magic Authentication — free version

The Magic Authentication plugin for Moodle is a convenient and secure authentication plugin designed to simplify the login process for users. With the Magic Authentication plugin, users no longer need to remember and enter their usernames and passwords to access the Moodle site. Instead, they can use a magic link that is sent to their email address, providing them with direct access to the Moodle platform.

Key Features:

1. Magic Link Authentication: Instead of traditional username and password login, users can authenticate themselves by clicking on a magic link sent to their email address. This eliminates the need for remembering and entering credentials, providing a more convenient login experience.

2. Email-based Verification: The plugin relies on email verification to ensure the authenticity of the user. A unique magic link is sent to the user's registered email address, serving as their authentication token.

3. Secure Authentication: Magic links are time-limited and expire after a certain period, adding an extra layer of security. This helps to prevent unauthorized access and reduces the risk of password-related vulnerabilities.

4. User-friendly Interface: The plugin provides a user-friendly interface on the Moodle login page, allowing users to easily request a magic link by entering their email address and clicking a designated button.

5. Seamless Single Sign-On: Once the user clicks on the magic link and completes the authentication process, they are automatically logged in to Moodle without requiring any additional credentials. This creates a seamless single sign-on experience for users.

6. Compatibility: The Magic Authentication plugin is designed to work with the latest versions of Moodle, ensuring compatibility and seamless integration into your Moodle environment.

Magic Authentication Pro — paid version

The Magic Authentication Pro plugin is an enhanced version of the Magic Authentication plugin for Moodle. It introduces additional features that enhance the authentication and login experience for users. With this plugin, users can conveniently register by entering their email addresses. Administrators gain the ability to create and manage registration campaigns, customize the login page to align with their organization's branding, and leverage a range of customization options. These enhancements result in a smoother and more user-friendly authentication and login process within Moodle.

Key Features:

1. Magic Signup: The Magic Signup feature allows users to create an account simply by entering their email addresses. Whether or not an account with the provided email address already exists, a magic link will be sent. If the account doesn't exist, clicking on the magic link will create the user account.

2. Magic Custom Login Page: With the Magic Custom Login Page feature, you gain full control over the login page. A separate custom login page is created, enabling you to customize its appearance and layout. You can choose to display only one input field for the email address and conditionally show additional input elements based on the entered email address and its associated authentication method.

3. Campaigns: The Campaigns feature allows users with the appropriate capabilities, such as site managers, to create registration forms. These forms can be customized visually, including the addition of a logo, text, and background image. You can pre-set profile information, define form fields, set up enrolments, and assignments, and even manage capacity within the campaigns.

4. Allow User to Use Username for Login: By enabling this feature, users have the option to enter their username instead of their email address in the login form. The plugin will determine the corresponding email address for the provided username and send the magic link to that associated email address. A global setting controls this behavior.

5. Button Position: This feature allows you to configure the position of the "Get a magic link" button on the login page. You can choose to display the button in the normal position, below the username field, or below the password field, depending on your preference.

6. Manually Override Expiration Time: Administrators with the appropriate capability can manually override the expiration time of a magic link. This feature is particularly useful for creating everlasting login links, such as for demo accounts or specific use cases where a longer validity period is required.

7. Get Link via Moodle Webservice: The Magic Authentication Pro plugin provides the capability to retrieve the magic link via the Moodle web service. This feature enables integration with other systems or external applications that can programmatically fetch the magic link.

8. Quick Registration: The Quick Registration feature facilitates a streamlined registration process by allowing users to quickly create accounts using their email addresses without the need for additional profile information. This can be useful in scenarios where minimal user information is required.

9. Magic user accounts: The Magic User Accounts offers a convenient interface for managing users with magic authentication, with options to view and modify user information, control access, and perform essential administrative tasks. This list includes users with magic authentication enabled and authorized to access Moodle using this method.

Installation and initial setup

Installation for Magic Authentication

You can install the Magic Authentication plugin using the Moodle plugin installer. Here are the steps to follow:

1. Download the Magic Authentication plugin from the Moodle plugins repository or from the Bdecent website.
2. Log in to your Moodle site as an administrator.
3. Go to "Site administration > Plugins > Install plugins".
4. Upload the downloaded plugin ZIP file.
5. Follow the prompts to install the plugin.
6. Once the Magic Authentication plugin is installed, you need to enable Magic Authentication by going to " Site Administration > Plugins > Authentication > Manage authentication". From there, Locate the Magic Authentication plugin and click the eye icon to enable it.
7. Click the Settings link for the Magic Authentication, From there, you can configure the magic link expiration times.

Alternatively, you can also install the Magic Authentication plugin manually. Here are the steps to follow:

1. Download the Magic Authentication plugin from the Moodle plugins repository.
2. Unzip the downloaded file.
3. Upload the magic folder to the " moodle/auth" directory on your Moodle server.
4. Log in to your Moodle site as an administrator.
5. Go to "Site administration > Notifications".
6. Follow the prompts to install the plugin.

Installation for Magic Authentication Pro.

Install using Moodle plugin installer, Follow the same steps mentioned in the above installation steps. Use the Magic Authentication Pro source instead of the Magic Authentication

Alternatively, you can also install the Magic Authentication Pro plugin manually. Here are the steps to follow:

1. Download the Magic Authentication Pro plugin from the Moodle plugins repository
2. Unzip the downloaded file.
3. Upload the magic folder to the " moodle/local" directory on your Moodle server.
4. Log in to your Moodle site as an administrator.
5. Go to "Site administration > Notifications".
6. Follow the prompts to install the plugin.

Global Configurations:

The Magic Authentication plugin for Moodle includes a Global Configuration where you can customize various settings to be applied by expiration times for magic links. To access the Magic Authentication global configuration Go to "Site administration > Plugins > Authentication > Magic authentication"

1. Supports password:

   Disabled: This option allows users to don't utilize a password for accessing Moodle.

   Enabled: This option allows users to utilize a password for accessing Moodle.

2. Magic invitation link expiry:

   The Magic Invitation Link Expiry setting allows you to define the duration for which a magic invitation link remains valid. This global setting ensures that invitation links have a limited lifespan and expire after a specified period.

   Note: The duration is set to 0, indicating that the invitation links will never expire.

3. Magic login link expiry:

   The Magic Login Link Expiry setting allows you to define the duration for which a magic login link remains valid. This global setting controls the lifespan of the login links sent to users for authentication purposes.

   Note: The duration is set to 0, indicating that the login links will never expire.

Pro Configurations:

4. Default enrolment duration:

   The Default Enrolment Duration setting in Quick Registration enables you to specify the default duration for course enrolments. This setting controls the length of time users will have access to a course upon enrolment.

5. Default enrolment role:

   The Default Enrolment Role setting enables you to specify the role assigned to users when they are enrolled in a course using the Quick Registration feature.

6. Supported authentication method:

   The Supported Authentication Method setting allows you to define the method by which users can obtain a magic link via email for authentication.

   Magic only: This option allows only users authenticated through the magic authentication method will be able to receive a magic link via email. Users who have registered and authenticated using other methods will not have access to this feature.

   Any method: This option allows users authenticated through any authentication method to receive a magic link via email. This means that users who have registered and authenticated using different authentication methods.

7. Owner account role:

   The setting is used to define the role assigned to the user who creates a new user account.

   If the setting is configured to a role other than "none," the user who creates the new account will be assigned the specified role as the owner account role for the newly created user.

   Note: This setting is populated with all available roles within the user context.

8. Owner account role:

   Enabled: This option allows users to enter either their email address or their username in the login form to receive the magic link via email.

   Disabled: This option restricts users to providing only their email address in the login form to receive the magic link via email.

9. Magic login link button position:

   This setting allows you to configure the placement of the "Get a Magic Link" button on the login form.

   Below username: This option moves the "Get a Magic Link" button below the username field on the login form.

   Below password: This option positions the "Get a Magic Link" button below the password field on the login form.

   Normal: This option positions the "Get a Magic Link" button in the default location based on the identity provider being used.

10. Privileged role :

    This setting allows you to define which roles are considered "privileged" during the magic login process.

    Note: When signing in with an email address, if the email address belongs to an account that supports magic login but has a privileged role, users will be required to enter their password before they can obtain the magic login link via email on the magic custom login page.

11. Login footer links :

    This setting allows you to display a footer at the bottom of the magic custom login page that contains additional information and links.

Feature

Feature: Quick registration

Quick Registration is a convenient feature in Moodle that allows for fast and efficient user registration and enrollment into a course. It simplifies the process by enabling users to register and join a course in just one step. The feature is accessible to users with the appropriate capability in the context, ensuring that only authorized individuals can utilize it.

To use Quick Registration, the user must have the capability " local/magic:cansitequickregistration *" at the site level or " local/magic:cancoursequickregistration *" at the course level. This ensures that only users with the necessary permissions can utilize the feature.

The Quick Registration feature is available in two locations within Moodle: at the site level and within individual courses. At the site level, site administrators can access it through the " Site administration > Users > Accounts > Quick registration".

Within a course, participants can access it by clicking on the " Quick registration" button located next to the "Enrol users" option.

Feature: Magic User Accounts

The Magic User Accounts presents a table displaying the list of users with magic authentication.

The Magic User Accounts feature is available in two locations within the site:

1.Site Level Access:

Site administrators can access the user list by navigating to " Site admin > Users > Accounts > List of magic keys".

Users with site-level contexts, such as managers, can also access the user list through their profile settings. By going to " Profile > Magic Authentication > List of magic keys" users with the manager role can manage the magic authentication users associated with their profile. This access is specific to site-level contexts, and the capability required is " local/magic:viewloginlinks".

2.Parent Level Access:

Parent Users can access the user list through their profile settings. By going to " Profile > Magic Authentication > List of magic keys" parents can view and manage the magic authentication users that are linked to their parent account. This access is specific to user-level contexts, and the capability required is " local/magic:viewchildloginlinks".

The Magic User Accounts feature offers a convenient way to manage users with magic authentication. Authorized users with the appropriate capabilities can access a user list and perform various actions such as editing, deleting, suspending, copying invitation links, and sending invitation links.

1. Firstname / Lastname: Displays the user's first name and last name.

2. Email Address: This shows the user's email address as a unique identifier.

3. Courses: Indicates the courses in which the user is enrolled.

4. Last Access: Displays the timestamp of the user's last access to the site.

5. Edit Actions: Provides various options for managing user accounts:

   Delete: Allows for the deletion of user accounts.

    - Site-level capability required: "*` local/magic:userdelete `*"
   
    - User-level capability required: "*` local/magic:childuserdelete `*"
   

   Suspend: Enables / Disables the suspension of user accounts.

    - Site-level capability required: "*` local/magic:usersuspend `*"
   
    - User-level capability required: "*` local/magic:childusersuspend `*"
   

   Settings: Provides the ability to edit user account settings.

    - Site-level capability required: "*` local/magic:userupdate `*"
   
    - User-level capability required: "*` local/magic:childuserupdate `*"
   

   Copy Link: Enables the sending of a magic invitation link to the user.

    - Site-level capability required: "*` local/magic:usercopylink `*"
   
    - User-level capability required: "*` local/magic:childusercopylink `*"
   

   Invite Link: Enables the sending of a magic invitation link to the user.

    - Site-level capability required: "*` local/magic:usersendlink `*"
   
    - User-level capability required: "*` local/magic:childusersendlink `*"
   

   Override Invite Link: Allows for overriding the expiry time interval of a magic invitation link.

    - Site-level capability required: "*` local/magic:usersetlinkexpirytime `*"
   
    - User-level capability required: "*` local/magic:childusersetlinkexpirytime `*"
   

Feature: Magic Login Page

The Magic Login Page provides significant enhancements to the standard Moodle login process. By simplifying the login interface to a single email input and dynamically displaying relevant additional input elements, we streamline the login experience for users. This customization allows for a more user-friendly and efficient authentication process tailored to individual authentication methods associated with email addresses.

To access the custom Magic login page in Magic Authentication, follow these steps:

1. Log in to your Moodle site with administrator credentials.
2. Navigate to Site administration.
3. Under the "Authentication" section, click on "Manage authentication."
4. Look for the "Common settings" section.
5. Locate the "Alternate login URL" setting.
6. In the field provided, enter the URL for your custom Magic login page. For example, set it to "https://yourmoodlesite//local/magic/login.php".
7. Save the changes.

The magic login page offers a simplified and intuitive login experience by requesting only the user's email address initially. Once the email address is entered, the page dynamically adapts to show the relevant input fields based on the authentication method associated with that email.

To sign in, please enter your email address. If the email address belongs to an account that supports a specific authentication method, additional input elements will be displayed accordingly based on the associated authentication method.

If the email address belongs to an account that supports magic login and is not a privileged user, or if there is no account associated with the entered email address and Magic Pro is configured to Create user accounts, you will be able to obtain the magic login link after entering the email address.

If the email address belongs to an account that does not support magic login, you will be required to enter your password.

If the email address belongs to a privileged user account that supports magic login, you will be prompted to enter your password before obtaining the magic login link via email.

To sign in, enter your email address. If the email address belongs to an account that uses an identity provider for authentication, the appropriate button associated with that identity provider will be displayed.