[Zope] CookieCrumbler: Login a user without a "login_form" Template

[nicogrubert at arcor.de]

Hi there,

I am using Cookie Crumbler to authenticate users in Zope.
Am I right that Cookie Crumbler needs a "login_form" with fields 'username' 
and 'password' template to login users in Zope or is it possible to login a 
user in Zope without such a template, e.g. in an External Method ?

In Zope, I have a folder containing:
- cookie_authentication object
- a simple Page Template "inputForm.html" with an input textfield 'qry'
- an External Method "loginUser"
- a "logged_in" Page Template the users sees if he is looged in successfully
- an acl_users folder containing 1 user "testuser" (password: 123456, roles: 
Manager)

The Page Template "inputForm.html" contains a submit button which calls the 
External Method "loginUser".
In the External Method I want to login the currently anonymous user in Zope 
with username "testuser" and password "123456" (This user can be found in the 
acl_users folder). 

How can I do that? How do I need to modfify the REQUEST object to tell the 
Cookie Crumbler that the anonymous user now needs to be logged in?


my External Method looks like this:

----------
def loginUser(self, REQUEST=None):
    "login a user into Zope"
    qry = REQUEST.get('qry', '')
    if qry == 'whatever':
        # login user "testuser" in Zope        
        #... maybe something like ???:
        ?REQUEST['__ac_name'] = 'testuser'
        ?REQUEST['__ac_password'] = '123456'
        ?return self.logged_in(REQUEST)
    else:
        # ... user not logged in 

------------

Any idea how I can login the current anonymous user in Zope within this 
External Method?

thanks in advance,
-nico