Creating a Blazer Web Assembly Authentication Form

The login page in Blazor Web Assembly needs model binding and authentication setup for user sign-in.

### Implementing User Authentication in Blazor WebAssembly
* 🔐 The Dev Talk Show on June 28th, 2024, continues the discussion on **Blazor, WebAssembly, and implementing user authentication from scratch**.
* 🎉 Announced on the show was the upcoming **.NET Aspire Developer's Day**, featuring keynight sessions from **Glenn Condron and Maddy Montia**, deep dive sessions, and community contributions from partners like **Mango and New Relic**.
* 📅 Jeff Fritz recently led a **two-hour introductory session** on .NET Aspire, with a **full-day event scheduled for July 23rd**.
* 🛠 Rich and the host discussed setting up a "**Dev drive**" and "**Dev home**," leveraging the latter's **YAML configuration** for easy application setup.
* 🖥 The host shared plans to build a Dev machine setup tool capable of **creating environments from scratch**.
* 🧠 Blazor WebAssembly projects require components intended for **interactive render modes** to be placed in the **client project**.
* 🔒 The "**PersistingServerAuthenticationStateProvider**" on the server side saves the user's authentication state, while the "**PersistentAuthenticationStateProvider**" on the client side retrieves and maintains it.
* 📝 When creating an "EditForm" in Blazor, a model parameter must be provided and **initialized to bind form fields**.

### Building a Blazor Web Assembly Login Form with Server-Side Authentication
* 🧱 Moved the login form server-side to address the challenge of **signing users in client-side**.
* Used the `@attribute` directive for model binding in server-side rendering, as the behavior differs from interactive rendering.
* 📝 Implemented the `**??=** operator` to create a **new model instance only if it's null**.
* 🔏 Added server-side authentication logic to **sign users in**, setting the default scheme to `tdtsCookie`.
* 🔍 Encountered an issue where the user's **authentication state was lost** after pre-rendering in Blazor Web Assembly.
* 🤔 Faced the challenge of **overriding the render mode** to make components **server-side**.
* 🎯 Explored the possibility of having a **client-side login form** that communicates with an **API for authentication**.
* 📅 Planned to investigate further the **authentication state persistence issue**.

Authentication in Blazor WebAssembly From Scratch - Part 2

The Dev Talk Show

NET Aspire developer's day with keynight sessions and deep dive sessions.

Jeff Fritz led a two-hour session as a basic introduction to .

NET Aspire, with a full day event scheduled for July 23rd.

The hosts also talk about the confusion of their unofficial dog producer and their plans for rebuilding a dev machine.

Setting Up Dev Drive, Dev Box, and Dev Home

Setting up a Dev Drive is a one-time process that provides quicker file access and is similar to setting up virtual machines.

Dev Box offers a convenient way to configure and save development environments, including a variety of applications, using a ymo file.

Dev Home allows for easy setup of development environments by selecting from a list of applications and creating a configuration file for future use on local or other Dev Box machines.

Placement of Components and Pages in Blazor Projects

Components or pages in a Blazor project are typically located in the "client" folder if the project is set to be a web assembly.

The "Razor" component is used for authorized route views, allowing the user's current authentication state to be available to descendants.

In the "client" project, a persistent authentication state provider class is added to save the user's state, allowing communication between different components for authentication purposes.

The Importance of Component Render Modes in a WebAssembly App

It is crucial to decide on component render modes based on the application's needs and priorities.

The focus is on running a client-side app in WebAssembly without dealing with production-level authentication and database interaction.

The server-side and client-side authentication state providers play a crucial role in persisting user information for the WebAssembly app.

The Challenge of Client-Side Authentication

Authentication is primarily a server-side activity and is challenging to implement solely on a client device.

The process of creating a login form and handling the context for client-side authentication can be complex and requires careful consideration.

The struggle of resolving parameter name conflicts and the decision of whether to make the form its own component adds to the complexity of client-side authentication.

Understanding Blazer's "Child Content" and Form Rendering

Blazer's "Child Content" concept may be unfamiliar to many users and can cause confusion when working with forms.

The "Child Content" attribute and error messages are aimed at helping with form rendering, but may require a good understanding of Blazer.

The process involves creating a model, binding it to the form, and defining a submit method to handle form submissions, with the need to initialize the model for proper functionality.

Resolving Null Instance Issues in Blazer Code

Addressing the null instance issue in Blazer code by creating a new instance in the constructor.

Using target type parameters to resolve the null instance problem of the credential class.

log for debugging in Blazer code, especially for understanding the code's runtime location.

Issues with User Sign-in and Authentication in Blazer Client-Side

The code for user sign-in and authentication is not working on the client-side, and a specific part of the Blazer platform is not available for client-side use.

There is a need to make a decision about whether to move the login component to the server-side or explore signing in users through an API.

The process of moving the login component to the server-side may have some implications and requires consideration of the HTTP context.

The Quandary of Render Modes in Blazer Web Assembly

The discussion revolves around the use of render modes in Blazer Web Assembly, specifically the challenge of overriding the render mode to server-side.

The team is exploring the possibility of changing the render mode to null, but facing difficulties in implementing this approach.

They are considering alternative methods used in the app Razer component to address the render mode issue.

Discussion on Moving the Login Component and Server-Side Sign-In

The code discussion involves moving the login component to the server-side and the implications of this change.

The team is exploring the possibility of having the login form be client-side and communicate over an API.

They are also troubleshooting the issue of the username not being passed during sign-in and addressing the need to create a new model only if the current model is null, using the null-coalescing assignment operator in C#.

Troubleshooting Form Model and Server-Side Rendering in Blazer

The form model is created as a new credential when null and not created when it's not null, based on the server-side rendering mode type in Blazer.

The form model is filled from the form using an attribute, affecting the operator behavior and preventing it from being created anew.

The authentication scheme and setup in the Blazer server-side code may require further investigation for kicking off the persistent authentication state provider.

The process of persisting a sync fire was observed and analyzed, leading to the discovery of a potential issue with pre-rendering in Blazer web assembly.

The team worked on implementing a login component, addressing the challenges of client-side and server-side implementation, and navigating the complexities of authentication in a component-based framework.

The discussion also touched on the unique difficulties presented by Blazer in creating agnostic components, especially in the context of authentication.