CardSpace Controls

Windows CardSpace and Information Card technology help solve the huge problem of authenticating users on the Internet. Not only does it provide end users with a more secure experience, it makes it much more convenient to log into your site. 

Microsoft's official CardSpace Icon It's here and you can use it on your site!   People are starting to look for sites they can log into with their CardSpace Identities. Now your site can accept Information Cards.

You'll find lots of examples that provide guidance on accepting Information Cards but if you want to bypass the complexity of of encryption, tokens, object tags, namespace URI's and JavaScript, consider the CardSpace Controls.

The following controls are included:

	CardSpace Control Choose which information you want the user to provide then handle the control's events to get the information provided by your users.  Works with managed and self issued information cards. »  More about the CardSpace Control	Free!
	CardSpace Button This is an enhanced version of the CardSpace Control which appears as an HTML button with the Card Space Icon and button text such as "Login with your Information Card". »  More about the CardSpace Button Control	Free!
	CardSpace Login Control Works just like the standard Asp.Net Login control except that a CardSpace Button is used to log into an existing Asp.Net Membership Account.  »  More about the CardSpace Login Control	Free!
	CardSpace Manage Control Allows a logged-in membership user to associate or remove Information Cards from the Asp.Net membership account. Once a card has been associated with the membership account, the CardSpace Login control can be used to log into the account. »  More about the ManageCards Control	Free!
	CardSpace Sign-in Control Allows a new user to instantly set up an Asp.Net Membership Account by simply selecting an Information Card. Existing members can easily associate the card with their Asp.Net Membership Account. »  More about the CardSpace Sign-in Control  Provides the fastest and simplest Sign-up process on the Web! Try it.	Free!

Instant functionality

The CardSpace Controls provide instant drag & drop functionality and can be completely customized by setting properties in the designer. If you prefer to type the markup directly, use Intellisense to set properties.

Customize the appearance and behavior

Set properties or select from pre-defined styles to perfectly tailor the appearance of each control to match the look and feel of your web site. Since the CardSpace Login, CardSpace Manage and CardSpace NewAccount controls are templated, you can even modify the layout.



Just like the Asp.Net Membership Controls, you can set properties to direct the user to a help page or determine where to redirect upon a successful login.

Rich Events

Events are raised when claims are presented, before authenticating, before logging in, after logging in, when errors occur, and in fact, at every step of the process.  Each event includes properties that give you the information you need to programmatically interact with the control.

See how they work on our site 

See how the CardSpace Controls are integrated with our own site by clicking the "Your Account" link on the toolbar above. When we release the CardSpace Manage Control, we'll be able to provide a one-click registration experience. In the meantime, you can quickly set up a membership acount the "old fashioned way" using the Asp.Net CreateUser Wizard. 

After you've created a user account, be sure to check out the "Manage Cards" link on our Membership Control Panel.  Use it to associate one or more Identity Cards with "Your Account" then log out/in using the cards.

What to do next

»  Download CardSpace Controls Setup
»  Learn how to add information card support to your own web site

Technical Support

Even though the CardSpace Controls are free, we want to help you get them working on your own web site. We'll be actively monitoring our Support Forums to assist you.    The complete API for the CardSpace Controls is available here.