How To Create A Login Page In Visual Studio Code

How To Articles

In this article, I will guide you through the process of creating a login page in Visual Studio Code. As a developer, I understand the importance of having a secure login system for user authentication. So, let’s dive in and create our own login page!

Setting Up the Project

Before we start coding, make sure you have Visual Studio Code installed on your computer. If you don’t have it yet, you can download it from the official website.

Once you have Visual Studio Code up and running, create a new project folder. Open Visual Studio Code and navigate to the folder you just created. Right-click on the folder in the left-hand side bar and select “New File” to create a new HTML file. Name it “login.html”.

HTML Markup

Let’s start by adding the basic HTML structure to our login page. Open the “login.html” file and enter the following code:


<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<title>Login Page</title>
<link rel="stylesheet" href="styles.css">
</head>
<body>
<h1>Welcome to My Login Page</h1>
<form action="login.php" method="POST">
<label for="username">Username:</label>
<input type="text" id="username" name="username" required><br>
<label for="password">Password:</label>
<input type="password" id="password" name="password" required><br>
<input type="submit" value="Login">
</form>
</body>
</html>

In the code above, we have created a simple HTML form with two input fields for the username and password. The form action is set to “login.php”, which is where we will handle the login logic. We have also added some basic styling using an external CSS file called “styles.css”.

Adding CSS Styling

Now let’s create the “styles.css” file and add some CSS rules to style our login page. Create a new file named “styles.css” in the same project folder as “login.html” and add the following code:


body {
font-family: Arial, sans-serif;
background-color: #f2f2f2;
padding: 20px;
}

h1 {
text-align: center;
}

form {
background-color: #ffffff;
max-width: 300px;
margin: 0 auto;
padding: 20px;
border: 1px solid #dddddd;
border-radius: 5px;
}

label {
display: block;
margin-bottom: 10px;
}

input[type="text"],
input[type="password"] {
width: 100%;
padding: 10px;
margin-bottom: 20px;
}

input[type="submit"] {
background-color: #4caf50;
color: #ffffff;
padding: 10px 20px;
border: none;
border-radius: 5px;
cursor: pointer;
}

input[type="submit"]:hover {
background-color: #45a049;
}

The CSS code above will style our login page with a clean and modern look. Feel free to modify the CSS code to match your own preferences and branding.

Handling the Login Logic

Now that we have our HTML and CSS in place, let’s focus on the login logic. Create a new file named “login.php” in the same project folder as “login.html” and add the following code:


<?php
$username = $_POST['username'];
$password = $_POST['password'];

// Add your login logic here

if ($username == 'admin' && $password == 'password') {
echo 'Login successful!';
} else {
echo 'Invalid username or password.';
}
?>

In the PHP code above, we are retrieving the values of the username and password fields submitted through the login form. You can add your own login logic here, such as checking against a database of registered users. In this example, we are simply checking if the username is “admin” and the password is “password”. If the login credentials match, we display a success message; otherwise, we display an error message.

Conclusion

Congratulations! You have successfully created a login page in Visual Studio Code. With the HTML markup, CSS styling, and login logic in place, you now have a basic login system that can be further enhanced and customized to meet your specific requirements. Remember to always prioritize security when implementing user authentication in your web applications.

If you want to see your login page in action, open the “login.html” file in your web browser or host it on a web server.

Happy coding!