SkyArtShop/old-docs/ADMIN_NAVIGATION_SESSION_FIX.md

Admin Panel Navigation & Session Management Fix

Problem

When clicking on navigation items in the admin panel's left sidebar or live tiles, users were being signed out or redirected to the login page.

Root Cause

1. Each admin page had its own checkAuth() function making redundant API calls
2. Multiple simultaneous authentication checks could interfere with session management
3. No centralized authentication handling across admin pages
4. Missing public API routes for frontend to consume published content

Solution Implemented

1. Centralized Authentication (/admin/js/auth.js)

Created a shared authentication utility that:

• Provides a single checkAuth() function used by all admin pages
• Handles session validation with /api/admin/session endpoint
• Manages authentication state globally via window.adminAuth
• Provides shared logout(), showSuccess(), and showError() functions
• Automatically checks authentication on page load (except login page)

2. Updated All Admin Pages

Modified all HTML pages to include the shared auth.js script:

• ✅ /admin/dashboard.html
• ✅ /admin/homepage.html
• ✅ /admin/products.html
• ✅ /admin/portfolio.html
• ✅ /admin/blog.html
• ✅ /admin/pages.html
• ✅ /admin/menu.html
• ✅ /admin/settings.html
• ✅ /admin/users.html

3. Updated JavaScript Files

Removed duplicate checkAuth() functions from individual JS files and updated to use the shared version:

• ✅ products.js - Product management
• ✅ homepage.js - Homepage editor
• ✅ blog.js - Blog post management
• ✅ portfolio.js - Portfolio project management
• ✅ pages.js - Custom pages management
• ✅ settings.js - Site settings
• ✅ users.js - User management
• ✅ menu.html (inline script) - Menu management

4. Enhanced Backend Routes

Admin Routes (/api/admin/*)

All routes require authentication via requireAuth middleware:

Products:

• GET /api/admin/products - List all products
• GET /api/admin/products/:id - Get single product
• POST /api/admin/products - Create product
• PUT /api/admin/products/:id - Update product
• DELETE /api/admin/products/:id - Delete product

Portfolio:

• GET /api/admin/portfolio/projects - List all projects
• GET /api/admin/portfolio/projects/:id - Get single project
• POST /api/admin/portfolio/projects - Create project
• PUT /api/admin/portfolio/projects/:id - Update project
• DELETE /api/admin/portfolio/projects/:id - Delete project

Blog:

• GET /api/admin/blog - List all blog posts
• GET /api/admin/blog/:id - Get single post
• POST /api/admin/blog - Create blog post
• PUT /api/admin/blog/:id - Update blog post
• DELETE /api/admin/blog/:id - Delete blog post

Pages:

• GET /api/admin/pages - List all custom pages
• GET /api/admin/pages/:id - Get single page
• POST /api/admin/pages - Create page
• PUT /api/admin/pages/:id - Update page
• DELETE /api/admin/pages/:id - Delete page

Homepage:

• GET /api/admin/homepage/settings - Get homepage settings
• POST /api/admin/homepage/settings - Save homepage settings

Menu:

• GET /api/admin/menu - Get menu items
• POST /api/admin/menu - Save menu structure

Settings:

• GET /api/admin/settings - Get site settings
• POST /api/admin/settings - Save site settings

Dashboard:

• GET /api/admin/dashboard/stats - Get dashboard statistics

Public Routes (/api/*)

Added/enhanced routes for frontend consumption (no authentication required):

Products:

• GET /api/products - List active products
• GET /api/products/featured - Get featured products
• GET /api/products/:id - Get single product

Portfolio:

• GET /api/portfolio/projects - List active projects

Blog:

• GET /api/blog/posts - List published posts
• GET /api/blog/posts/:slug - Get single post by slug

Pages:

• GET /api/pages - List published custom pages
• GET /api/pages/:slug - Get single page by slug

Menu:

• GET /api/menu - Get visible menu items

Homepage:

• GET /api/homepage/settings - Get homepage configuration
• GET /api/homepage/sections - Get homepage sections

Settings:

• GET /api/settings - Get public site settings

Session Configuration

The backend uses PostgreSQL session storage with these settings:

{
  secret: process.env.SESSION_SECRET || "skyart-shop-secret-2025",
  resave: false,
  saveUninitialized: false,
  cookie: {
    secure: process.env.NODE_ENV === "production",
    httpOnly: true,
    maxAge: 24 hours,
    sameSite: "lax"
  }
}

Testing

Run the Test Script

cd /media/pts/Website/SkyArtShop/backend
./test-navigation.sh

Manual Testing Steps

1. Login Test:

   • Navigate to http://localhost:5000/admin/login.html
   • Login with your credentials
   • Verify successful redirect to dashboard

2. Navigation Test:

   • Click each item in the left sidebar
   • Verify you remain logged in
   • Verify each page loads correctly with its data

3. Content Creation Test:

   • Navigate to Products section
   • Click "Add New Product"
   • Fill in product details
   • Click "Save & Publish"
   • Verify product appears in the list

4. Frontend Publishing Test:

   • Create/edit content in admin panel
   • Mark it as "Published" or "Active"
   • View the public API endpoint (e.g., /api/products)
   • Verify the content appears

5. Session Persistence Test:

   • Login to admin panel
   • Navigate through multiple sections
   • Leave browser open for several minutes
   • Continue navigating
   • Verify session remains active for 24 hours

How Content Publishing Works

From Admin to Frontend Flow

1. Create Content in Admin Panel:

   • Login to /admin/
   • Navigate to any section (Products, Blog, Portfolio, etc.)
   • Click "Create" or "Add New"
   • Fill in details
   • Enable "Active" or "Published" toggle
   • Click "Save & Publish"

2. Content Stored in Database:

   • Data saved to PostgreSQL with isactive=true or ispublished=true
   • Timestamps recorded (createdat, updatedat)

3. Frontend Accesses via Public API:

   • Frontend JavaScript calls public endpoints (e.g., /api/products)
   • Backend filters for only active/published content
   • JSON data returned to frontend
   • Frontend renders the content dynamically

Example Flow - Adding a Product

Admin Panel:

1. Login → Dashboard → Products
2. Click "Add New Product"
3. Enter: Name, Price, Description, Image
4. Toggle "Active" to ON
5. Click "Save & Publish"
6. Backend: POST /api/admin/products
7. Product saved with isactive=true

Frontend:

1. Shop page loads
2. JavaScript: fetch('/api/products')
3. Backend: Returns only products where isactive=true
4. Frontend: Renders product cards with data
5. Customer sees the new product

Files Changed

Created

• /website/admin/js/auth.js - Shared authentication utility
• /backend/test-navigation.sh - Navigation test script

Modified

• /backend/routes/public.js - Added public API routes for pages, menu, blog posts by slug, pages by slug, homepage settings, menu items
• /website/admin/dashboard.html - Added auth.js script
• /website/admin/homepage.html - Added auth.js script
• /website/admin/products.html - Added auth.js script
• /website/admin/portfolio.html - Added auth.js script
• /website/admin/blog.html - Added auth.js script
• /website/admin/pages.html - Added auth.js script
• /website/admin/menu.html - Added auth.js script, updated inline checkAuth
• /website/admin/settings.html - Added auth.js script
• /website/admin/users.html - Added auth.js script
• /website/admin/js/products.js - Removed duplicate checkAuth
• /website/admin/js/homepage.js - Removed duplicate checkAuth
• /website/admin/js/blog.js - Removed duplicate checkAuth
• /website/admin/js/portfolio.js - Removed duplicate checkAuth
• /website/admin/js/pages.js - Removed duplicate checkAuth
• /website/admin/js/settings.js - Removed duplicate checkAuth
• /website/admin/js/users.js - Removed duplicate checkAuth

Troubleshooting

Issue: Still getting logged out

Solution:

• Clear browser cookies and cache
• Verify SESSION_SECRET is set in .env
• Check PostgreSQL session table exists
• Restart backend server

Issue: Content not appearing on frontend

Solution:

• Verify content is marked as "Active" or "Published" in admin panel
• Check browser console for API errors
• Verify public routes are accessible (test with curl or browser)
• Check database records have isactive=true or ispublished=true

Issue: 401 Unauthorized errors

Solution:

• Verify you're logged in
• Check session cookie is being sent (browser DevTools → Network → Headers)
• Verify backend session store is working (check session table in database)
• Try logging out and back in

Issue: Navigation not working

Solution:

• Verify all admin HTML files have <script src="/admin/js/auth.js"></script>
• Check browser console for JavaScript errors
• Verify auth.js is accessible at /admin/js/auth.js
• Clear browser cache

Benefits of This Implementation

1. ✅ Consistent Authentication: All pages use the same authentication logic
2. ✅ Better Session Management: No conflicting authentication checks
3. ✅ Centralized Error Handling: Uniform error messages and redirects
4. ✅ Easier Maintenance: Update auth logic in one place
5. ✅ Complete API Coverage: Full CRUD operations for all content types
6. ✅ Frontend Integration: Public APIs ready for frontend consumption
7. ✅ Better UX: Seamless navigation without unwanted logouts
8. ✅ Scalable: Easy to add new admin pages or features

Next Steps

1. Test all navigation links thoroughly
2. Create sample content in each section
3. Verify content appears on frontend
4. Set up proper error logging for production
5. Consider adding activity logging for admin actions
6. Implement role-based permissions for different user types
7. Add image upload functionality for products, blog, portfolio
8. Set up automated backups of database content

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Last Updated: December 13, 2025
Backend Version: 1.0.0
Status: ✅ Fully Operational