Building and running a shell

In this recipe, we will learn how to build and run a custom shell, which will ask for a username and a password, and add the given account to a list of user accounts. Based on the system created in the recipe Setting up a basic authentication system from Chapter 1, Authentication, this shell is a great help when looking to create test accounts.

Getting ready

To go through this recipe we need an authentication system. Follow the entire recipe Setting up a basic authentication system from Authentication chapter.

How to do it...

Create a file named user.php and place it in your app/vendors/shells folder, with the following contents:

<?php
App::import('Core', 'Security');
class UserShell extends Shell {
public $uses = array('User');
public function main() {
$user = $this->in('Enter the username (ENTER to abort):');
if (empty($user)) {
$this->_stop();
}
$defaultPassword = $this->_randomPassword();;
$password = $this->in('Enter the password (ENTER to use...