[SOLVED] Shopping System Architecture - customers, staff, admin, suppliers - best way?

[scanreg]

I'd like to build a shopping system that allows suppliers to upload their data, etc., in addition to the usual shopping system activities.

 

Would it be better to have separate 'sections' of the system for each type of user:

 

/cart/

../staff/

../admin/

../suppliers/

 

or would it make sense to have a uni-login that then displays whatever the logged-in user has permission to access?

 

I've seen both approaches. Thanks 

[johnsmith153]

Either would work.

 

As long as when they are logged-in they are redirected to the correct area.

 

You certainly wouldn't want customers seeing any text that only suppliers would see.

 

Ensure you have seperate databases for each login type though - as data stored is bound to be different.

 

Personally I would also have seperate areas for each type:

www.shoppingsite.com for customers

www.shoppingsite.com/supplier

www.shoppingsite.com/staff

...but you don't have to as the system could divert to these areas if everyone went to one login page.

 

(but if you do get them to all login on the same page, there must be some way to identify whether they are a customer / supplier / staff - so you can't let a customer AND a member of staff both have the same username.

 

I would do the seperate login pages.

[scanreg]

Yes, agreed, I was thinking the same

 

Thanks