Resource ordering

Resources have one or more path patterns. When handling requests, PingAccess determines the path pattern that matches and associates the proper resource. When one or more path patterns matches a request, PingAccess uses the first matching pattern it identifies. As such, the order in which path patterns are evaluated is important.

By default, PingAccess orders path patterns automatically so that the most specific patterns are matched first. However, if more explicit control is needed, or if regular expressions are to be used, resource ordering can be enabled to manually specify the order in which path patterns are evaluated.

For example, an application may have three resources, such as:

  • /images/logo.png (Basic)
  • /images/* (Basic)
  • /.+/[a-z]\.png (Regex)

A request to resource /images/logo.png is matched by all 3 path patterns, yet each resource can have different policy requirements. Resource ordering allows you to specify which of these path patterns is parsed first, further allowing you to control the policy that is applied to a particular request.

Enable resource ordering

To enable resource ordering:
  1. Edit an existing application.
  2. On the Resources tab, click the Reorder icon Up and down arrow button.
  3. Modify the resource order as needed.
  4. Click Save.

Disable resource ordering

To disable resource ordering, you must first remove any Regex path patterns.
  1. Edit an existing application.
  2. On the Resources tab, click the Reorder icon Up and down arrow button.
  3. Click Disable manual ordering.

Auto-order resources

When resource ordering is enabled, PingAccess can assist in the process by attempting to intelligently order resources based on their path patterns.
  1. Edit an existing application.
  2. On the Resources tab, click the Reorder icon Up and down arrow button.
  3. Click Auto Order.
  4. Modify the resource order as needed.
  5. Click Save.
Important:

The Auto Order function will reorder all resources for an application. You cannot undo this action, though you are able to re-order resources manually as appropriate.