Login Integration

Allow customers to log in using their customer ID instead of email address.

Overview

The login integration feature enables customers to use their customer ID as an alternative to email for authentication. This is particularly useful for B2B scenarios where customers prefer using their assigned customer numbers.

How It Works

Technical Implementation

The extension uses an Observer on the controller_action_predispatch_customer_account_loginPost event:

Customer enters customer ID in the email field
Observer (PreControllerLogin.php) intercepts the login request
System detects if input is a customer ID (numeric check)
Looks up customer by customer_id_number attribute
Replaces customer ID with email address
Magento's standard authentication proceeds

Code Flow

// Observer/PreControllerLogin.php if (is_numeric($login['username'])) { $customer = $customerRepository->getByCustomerId($login['username']); if ($customer) { $login['username'] = $customer->getEmail(); $request->setPostValue('login', $login); } }

Configuration

Navigate to Stores >Configuration > MageB2B > Customer ID > Login Settings

Set Enable Login with Customer ID to Yes

Clear Cache

After enabling, clear cache:

php bin/magento cache:flush

Customer Experience

Customers can now use either:

Email: customer@example.com
Customer ID: 12345 (or CUST-00123 depending on template)

Go to customer login page
Enter customer ID in "Email" field
Enter password
Click "Sign In"
System automatically recognizes customer ID and logs in

Template Considerations

Templates that work well:

%d - Pure numbers: 1, 2, 3
%05d - Zero-padded: 00001, 00002

Why: Easy for customers to remember and type

Alphanumeric IDs

Templates with prefixes:

CUST-%05d - CUST-00001
B2B-%06d - B2B-000001

Note: Customers must enter the full ID including prefix

Non-Numeric Templates

Templates that DON'T work for login:

%d-%s - Contains non-numeric suffix
Custom formats with letters

Why: Login detection relies on numeric check

Best Practices

Use simple numeric templates - Easier for customers to remember

Communicate to customers - Inform them they can use customer ID to login

Display customer ID - Show it in account dashboard and emails

Test thoroughly - Verify login works with your template format

Keep email login - Don't disable email login, offer both options

Don't use complex templates - Avoid formats that are hard to type

Don't change templates - Once set, changing affects existing customers

Troubleshooting

Check configuration:

php bin/magento config:show mageb2b_kundennummer/login/enable_login

Should return 1 (enabled)

Check customer has ID:

SELECT entity_id, email, customer_id_number FROM customer_entity WHERE customer_id_number IS NOT NULL;

Check template format:

Numeric templates work best
Alphanumeric requires exact match including prefix

Customer ID Not Recognized

Possible causes:

Customer ID not assigned yet
Template includes non-numeric characters
Customer entered ID incorrectly
Cache not cleared after configuration

Solution:

# Clear cache php bin/magento cache:flush # Verify customer ID exists php bin/magento customer:info customer@example.com

Multiple Customers with Same ID

This should never happen if validation is enabled.

Check for duplicates:

SELECT customer_id_number, COUNT(*) as count FROM customer_entity WHERE customer_id_number IS NOT NULL GROUP BY customer_id_number HAVING count >1;

Fix duplicates:

Enable "Validate Uniqueness" in configuration
Manually reassign duplicate IDs in admin
Run validation script

Security Considerations

Password Still Required

Customer ID login does NOT bypass password authentication:

Customer ID only replaces email in lookup
Password validation remains unchanged
All security measures still apply

Brute Force Protection

Magento's built-in brute force protection applies:

Failed login attempts are tracked
Account lockout after X failed attempts
CAPTCHA can be enabled

Customer ID Privacy

Consider:

Customer IDs are less private than emails
Sequential IDs are predictable
Use ranges to obscure total customer count

Recommendations:

Start numbering at higher values (e.g., 10000)
Use non-sequential ranges
Don't expose customer IDs publicly

Frontend Display

Show Customer ID in Account

Enable Show Customer ID in Account to display the ID in:

Customer account dashboard
Order confirmation emails
Invoice PDFs
Account information page

Custom Template Display

Add customer ID to custom templates:

getCustomer()->getCustomAttribute('customer_id_number'); if ($customerId) { echo 'Your Customer ID: ' . $customerId->getValue(); } ?>

API Integration

Customer IDs are available via API for external systems:

{ "customer": { "id": 123, "email": "customer@example.com", "extension_attributes": { "customer_id_number": "CUST-00123" } } }

See API Integration for details.

Range Management - Configure ID ranges
Template Formatting - Customize ID formats
API Integration - Access IDs via API