Question

Folder for Common Application Data and how to set permissions on that folder.

Asked by: bysten

I've an application thats need to store common data (ini-files, databases and more) in a folder that all users have permissions to change, write, create and read. No problems with XP or Win 2000, but great problem in Vista. I use the "CSIDL_COMMON_APPDATA", (that is usally the C:\ProgramData in Vista) and I create a subfolder there with my install app. By default that folder don't get change rights for all users, but only for the current user, so  other users changing data, these files will be copied to VirtualStore for that user. (Why have a common app folder, when not everyone can share the same data?!!)
So my install app have to make changes on folder permissions, so everyone can use and change the same data.
I found an articel here (ID:6739023) that have a solution to set permission with VB-code, but it doesn't seems to be 100% compatible with Vista. When I right-click on the folder that I have changed permissions for, and look at the properties for security, I got a message that says something like this "Permissions on 'foldername' are not correct sorted and this could mean that some entries are not valid."  (Sorry, translation from Swedish!)
 When I test, it works OK, I've got change permissions for all users, but I-m worried if there will be some other problems, according to the message. Is there any other way to accomplish my goal to store common data or is this best and simpliest way?

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Asked On
2007-11-01 at 03:53:07ID22931931
Tags

application

,

data

,

common

,

folder

,

permissions

Topics

Visual Basic Programming

,

Windows Vista

Participating Experts
3
Points
250
Comments
5

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Answers

 

by: sah18Posted on 2007-11-01 at 08:16:43ID: 20193656

To my knowledge, what you are already doing is the best way to accomplish this.  I used the same article for a similar problem I was having, and it solved my problem.

 

by: jd2066Posted on 2007-11-01 at 19:13:02ID: 20197948

> Why have a common app folder, when not everyone can share the same data?
Because it's useful in other ways, just because not everyone can write to doesn't mean the whole folder is useless.
Way it can be used:
1. To store settings you only want to be changed by an admin but still read and used by a normal user.
2. To store data that services use and let certain users read or change some of it.

Also to have a folder that can be written to by all users is a bad idea. reasons why at http://blogs.msdn.com/oldnewthing/archive/2004/11/22/267890.aspx
One way that page lists for all users to have a common store is to create a service to share the settings between user.
Windows Vista Search does that, it has a common index shared by a service.
Unfortunately, the service way might be overkill if someone only wanted to share a few settings.

 

by: bystenPosted on 2007-11-02 at 03:22:32ID: 20199236

> Also to have a folder that can be written to by all users is a bad idea. reasons why at
I can understand the point, but in this case it's not just some settings, it's the database itself, which they can't share, if I don't make changes to the default settings. This must be  a problem just not for me, but for many database applications, where several people should have access to common data. By default the entire database is copied to Virtual Store if another user open it with write access! That's the problem. In my app I want to decide who can make changes and not, I don't want Microsoft to decide that. So, I have no other way to go than change permissions for the folder. I just want to know, how does other developer solv this problem?

 

by: Computer101Posted on 2008-02-27 at 16:18:53ID: 21000117

Forced accept.

Computer101
EE Admin

20120131-EE-VQP-002

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