Account Setup

Overview

RALQ requires user authentication to access the platform’s AR chemistry learning features. This guide walks you through account registration, login, and session management.

Registration Process

Navigate to Registration

From the RALQ landing page (index.php), click the registration link to access the signup form at registro.php.

Complete Required Fields

The registration form requires the following information:

Nombre (First Name) - Your first name(s)
Apellido Paterno (Paternal Surname) - Required field
Apellido Materno (Maternal Surname) - Required field
Correo (Email) - Must be a valid email format
Contraseña (Password) - Your chosen password
Confirmar Contraseña (Confirm Password) - Must match your password

All fields are mandatory and validated before submission.

Submit Registration

Click the “Listo” (Ready) button to submit your registration. The form performs client-side validation:

Checks that all fields are filled
Validates email format using regex pattern
Ensures passwords match
Displays inline error messages if validation fails

Registration Confirmation

Upon successful registration, your account is created in the database with:

Hashed password for security
Unique user ID
Email stored for login authentication

The registration form uses JavaScript validation (validateForm() function) to provide immediate feedback before server-side processing.

Form Validation Rules

Registration Validation Details

The registro.php form validates:

Field	Validation Rule	Error Message
Nombre	Cannot be empty	”El nombre es obligatorio.”
Apellido Paterno	Cannot be empty	”El apellido paterno es obligatorio.”
Apellido Materno	Cannot be empty	”El apellido materno es obligatorio.”
Email	Valid format ([email protected])	“Correo electrónico inválido.”
Password	Cannot be empty	”La contraseña es obligatoria.”
Confirm Password	Must match password	”Las contraseñas no coinciden.”

Error messages appear in red text below each field with visibility toggled based on validation status.

Access Login Page

Navigate to iniciosesion.php from the homepage or registration page link (“¿Ya tienes cuenta? Inicia sesión”).

Enter Credentials

Provide your registered credentials:

Correo (Email) - The email used during registration
Contraseña (Password) - Your account password

Submit Login

Click the “Entrar” (Enter) button. The system processes authentication through php/log.php:

Validates that email and password fields are not empty
Queries the database for the email
Verifies the password using password_verify() against the hashed password
Creates a PHP session upon successful authentication

Session Initialization

On successful login:

$_SESSION['user_id'] is set with your unique ID
$_SESSION['user_email'] stores your email
You’re redirected to menu.php (main dashboard)

Common login errors include:

“El correo no está registrado.” - Email not found in the database
“Contraseña incorrecta.” - Password doesn’t match the stored hash
“El correo electrónico es obligatorio.” - Empty email field
“La contraseña es obligatoria.” - Empty password field

Error messages are displayed below the relevant input field in red text.

Session Management

Active Session

Once logged in, RALQ maintains your session across pages using PHP session handling:

Session Start: Every protected page begins with session_start()
User Identification: Your email is displayed in the header dropdown
Persistent Access: Session remains active until logout or browser closure

User Profile Access

In the header navigation (menu.php:43-50), you’ll find:

The user dropdown menu is toggled by clicking the user icon, which triggers the toggleMenu() JavaScript function defined in js/usuario.js.

Session Security

RALQ implements several security measures:

Password Hashing: Passwords are hashed using PHP’s password_hash() function
Prepared Statements: SQL queries use prepared statements to prevent injection
Session Validation: Protected pages check for active session before rendering content
Secure Redirect: Failed authentication redirects back to login with error messages

Account Security Best Practices

Password Recommendations

Use a strong, unique password for your RALQ account
Avoid reusing passwords from other platforms
Consider using a password manager
Include a mix of letters, numbers, and special characters

Session Safety

Always log out when using shared computers
Don’t share your login credentials
Close your browser after logging out on public devices
Be aware that sessions may persist until browser closure

Email Security

Use a valid, active email address
Ensure you have access to the registered email
Keep your email account secure as it’s your login identifier

Logout Process

To safely end your RALQ session:

Open User Menu

Click the user icon in the top-right corner of the header to expand the dropdown menu.

Click Logout

Select “Cerrar sesión” from the dropdown menu.

Session Termination

You’ll be redirected to index.php (homepage) and your session variables are cleared:

$_SESSION['user_id'] is unset
$_SESSION['user_email'] is unset
Session data is destroyed

After logout, you’ll need to log in again to access molecular structures, laboratories, and AR features.

Troubleshooting

Can’t Register

Registration Issues

Problem: Form won’t submit or shows validation errorsSolutions:

Ensure all fields are filled completely
Check that email format is valid (must contain @ and domain)
Verify that passwords match exactly
Clear browser cache and try again
Disable browser autofill if it’s causing conflicts

Problem: “Contraseña incorrecta” or “El correo no está registrado”Solutions:

Double-check email spelling
Verify Caps Lock is off for password entry
Ensure you completed registration successfully
Try re-registering if you’re unsure about account status
Contact support via [email protected] if issues persist

Session Expires Unexpectedly

Session Management Issues

Problem: Logged out unexpectedly or redirected to loginSolutions:

Check if browser is blocking cookies
Ensure browser supports PHP sessions
Don’t open multiple tabs with different users
Clear browser cookies and re-login
Avoid very long idle periods

Database Connection

For administrators and developers, RALQ uses the following database configuration (from php/log.php):

$servername = "localhost";
$username = "root";
$password = "1234";
$dbname = "registro_RALQ";

User data is stored in the usuarios table with fields:

id - Unique user identifier
email - User email (login identifier)
password - Hashed password
Additional profile fields from registration

Next Steps

Once your account is set up and you’re logged in:

Explore 3D molecular structures
Try AR mode with your device camera
Browse the laboratory sections
Access the periodic table and other educational resources

Get Started

Core Features

User Guide

Technical

Account Setup

Overview

Registration Process

Form Validation Rules

Session Management

Active Session

User Profile Access

Session Security

Account Security Best Practices

Logout Process

Troubleshooting

Can’t Register

Session Expires Unexpectedly

Database Connection

Next Steps

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Get Started

Core Features

User Guide

Technical

​Overview

​Registration Process

​Form Validation Rules

​Login Process

​Login Error Handling

​Session Management

​Active Session

​User Profile Access

​Session Security

​Account Security Best Practices

​Logout Process

​Troubleshooting

​Can’t Register

​Can’t Login

​Session Expires Unexpectedly

​Database Connection

​Next Steps

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Overview

Registration Process

Form Validation Rules

Login Process

Login Error Handling

Session Management

Active Session

User Profile Access

Session Security

Account Security Best Practices

Logout Process

Troubleshooting

Can’t Register

Can’t Login

Session Expires Unexpectedly

Database Connection

Next Steps