Administrator rights request - delphi

I've got error if I don't run my program "As Administrator"
Access violation ... in module ... etc...
Got error when trying to work with my ini file.
How to avoid error or make a request Administrator rights.
(using C++Builder6 , but Delphi code is readable for me too)
working with ini by default
TIniFile *FormCllient;
FormCllient = new TIniFile(ExtractFilePath(Application->ExeName)+"Inf\\MyIniFile.ini");
...
Added :
I think I need add rules for folder after install application
I make install pack with Inno Setup ... Hope that's real.
*****Added : *****
How to put my file into app data ?

Don't put the ini file along the application /unless you really have to/. The common user, even the administrator /when app not explicitly elevated/ has no right to write into the Program Files folder.
Use environment var %ProgramData% if you want to write the ini accessible for all users, and use env var %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Roaming if you want to write user specific data accessible only by the current user.
You can use also "SHGetFolderPath" in order to obtain these folder via API.

Here's a function I wrote to get the Application Data folder in C++Builder.
If you're using older versions of C++Builder, you might find you have to change this to use AnsiStrings instead of Unicode (replace the "UnicodeString"s with "AnsiString"s, and change the call to "SHGetSpecialFolderPathW" to read "SHGetSpecialFolderPath").
GetAppDataFolder.h:
#ifndef GetAppDataFolderH
#define GetAppDataFolderH
UnicodeString GetAppDataFolder(bool roaming = true);
#endif
GetAppDataFolder.cpp:
// Helper function to get the location of the current user's Application Data folder (used for
// storing per-user application settings).
#include <vcl.h>
#pragma hdrstop
/* roaming: True for application data that can be accessed by the same user on different
machines. If you have per-user settings that are only relevant to a particular
computer, e.g., screen resolution, set 'roaming' to false.
*/
UnicodeString GetAppDataFolder(bool roaming /* = true */)
{
UnicodeString retVal;
int csidl = roaming ? CSIDL_APPDATA : CSIDL_LOCAL_APPDATA;
wchar_t thePath[MAX_PATH];
if (SHGetSpecialFolderPathW(NULL, thePath, csidl, 0) == TRUE) {
retVal = thePath;
}
return retVal;
}

Try hard coding it, the access violation is probably coming from asking the system for information about a file that the user may or may not have permissions to know about. if you need a more dynamic solution try using an environment variable that refers to the location of the file or the users "home" folder

Any reasons for/against storing your app configuration in the registry? I'm not suggesting you redo the code that brought up the question, just curious for my own future projects.

Related

How to read config file in electronjs app

It's my first time using Electron JS and nodejs. I've built a small app that reads some records from a database and updates them. Everything is working fine. I have a config file with the database credentials but when I build a portable win app, I cannot figure out how to read the config file that I would like to place next to the exe. I would like to have easy access to the file, so I could run the same app on different databases.
Can anyone tell me if what I want is possible and how? I already tried to get the exe location but I couldn't. I also read a lot of topics here but nothing seems to solve my problem (I might be doing something wrong).
I'm using electron-builder to build my app.
Thanks in advance.
Edit #1
My Config file is
{
"user" :"X",
"password" :"X",
"server":"X",
"database":"X",
"options":
{
"trustedconnection": true,
"enableArithAbort" : true,
"trustServerCertificate": true
}
}
This is what I've and works when I run the project with npm start
const configRootPath = path.resolve(__dirname,'dbConfig.json');
dbConfig = JSON.parse(fs.readFileSync(configRootPath, { encoding: 'utf-8' }));
However, when I build it, the app is looking for the file in another location different from the one where the executable is.
Use of Electron's app.getPath(name) function will get you the path(s) you are after, irrespective of which OS (Operating System) you are using.
Unless your application writes your dbConfig.json file, it may be difficult for your user to understand exactly where they should place their database config file as each OS will run and store your application data in a different directory. You would need to be explicit to the user as to where to place their config file(s). Alternatively, your application could create the config file(s) on the user's behalf (automatically or through a html form) and save it to a location 'known' to the application.
A common place where application specific config files are stored is in the user's application data directory. With the application name automatically amended to the directory, it can be found as shown below.
const electronApp = require('electron').app;
let appUserDataPath = electronApp.getPath('userData');
console.log(appUserDataPath );
In your use case, the below would apply.
const electronApp = require('electron').app;
const nodeFs = require('fs');
const nodePath = require('path');
const configRootPath = nodePath.join(electronApp.getPath('userData'), 'dbConfig.json');
dbConfig = JSON.parse(nodeFs.readFileSync(configRootPath, 'utf-8'));
console.log(configRootPath);
console.log(dbConfig);
You can try electron-store to store config.
Electron doesn't have a built-in way to persist user preferences and other data. This module handles that for you, so you can focus on building your app. The data is saved in a JSON file named config.json in app.getPath('userData').

How can I locate a file to use with the system/child_process API within a Firefox add-on?

I would like to write a Firefox add-on that communicates with a locally installed program to exchange data. It looks like this can be done using either js-ctypes or the low-level system/child_process API, with the latter being the recommended solution.
The child_process API appeals because it sends and receives data abstractly over a pipe rather than directly at the C interface level. However, to use it you need (it seems) to supply the full path to the executable within your code:
var child_process = require("sdk/system/child_process");
var ls = child_process.spawn('/bin/ls', ['-lh', '/usr']);
In my case, the executable is installed by another application and we don't know it's exact location - it will differ according to OS, the user's drives, and possibly the user's preference. I imagine this problem will be common to most executables that are not built in to the OS. So my question is: what means do I have to locate the full path of the executable I want to use? I will need to support multiple OSes but presumably could have different solutions for each if needed.
Thanks!
Here's the code I used on Windows - the key was being able to read an environment variable to find the location of the appropriate application folder. After that I assume that my application is stored under a well-known subpath (we don't allow customization of it).
var system = require("sdk/system");
var iofile = require('sdk/io/file');
var child_process = require('sdk/system/child_process');
var progFilesFolder = system.env["programfiles(x86)"],
targetFile = iofile.join(progFilesFolder, 'FolderName', 'Program.exe');
targetFileExists = iofile.exists(targetFile);
if (targetFileExists) {
var p = child_process.spawn(targetFile);
}
I haven't written the code for Mac yet but I expect it to be similar, with the difference being that there are no drive letters to worry about and the system folders in OS X have standard names (even on localized systems).

Fuse File System- general input/output error while accessing office files

I have written a fuse mirror file system using FUSE-JNA, Which mirror local directory.
This Mirror file system allow me to open all types of files correctly with no issue but it does not open all types of office files e.g. .docs , .xls etc. And give me be below error while opening any office file.
Note:
I thought its LibreOffice issue, so I removed it and installed OpenOffice. But get the same issue.
Secondly, the errors only pops up when I try to access an office file from my MirrorFileSystem. Office files opens correctly if accessed normally via ubuntu default file system.
So its some thing wrong with my File system.
Finally, (i don't know whether its related to the question or not but) in my mirror file system when I Right Click on a file>Properties> Permission its shows all the fields disabled, as below
This is my getatt() method:
public int getattr(final String path, final StatWrapper stat)
{
....
if (f.isFile())
{
stat.setMode(NodeType.FILE,true,true,true,true,true,true,true,true,true);
stat.size(f.length());
stat.atime(f.lastModified()/ 1000L);
stat.mtime(0);
stat.nlink(1);
stat.uid(0);
stat.gid(0);
stat.blocks((int) ((f.length() + 511L) / 512L));
return 0;
}
...
}
Please guide me how to fix general input/output error while office files?
Office files are not special. There is some other problem with your filesystem implementation, and you need to do more debugging work to find out precisely what the trigger and the cause is. It's very unlikely that the trigger truly is "the file is an office file", unless you have stuff in your filesystem code that operates differently based on the type of file it's dealing with (in which case you should look there). As a first debugging step, you could compare the sha1sum and stat output of the files from the fuse filesystem and from the root filesystem to see if they match. If they don't, adjust the filesystem code such that they do. You could also enable logging on your filesystem class and check if it's returning an I/O error code anywhere. The error message "general input/output error" makes it sound like that is the case.
As for the reason the permissions fields are disabled, that's because the file is owned by root, and you are not root so you can't change the permissions. The reason the file is owned by root is because you set stat.uid(0); and stat.gid(0); in getattr. UID 0 and GID 0 are for the root user and root group respectively. Fuse-JNA already puts the current UID and GID as default stat attributes in getattr, so if you want to use these then just don't call stat.uid(0); or stat.gid(0);.
Thanks for the answer.
I searched on web, on many websites they showed file locking as the reason e.g. https://forum.openoffice.org/en/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=2020 etc
So in fuse, I implemented file lock function and simply return 0
My problem solved. Now I can open all types of office files.
But I do not know, is it perfect solution

Use SSL with Delphi yet still having a single exe

We use Indy and we need SSL eMail support in our app., however we need to have our application in a single .Exe.
We know that the default Indy handler requires to have the dlls in the path. Extracting the Dlls from one of the EXE's resources would be the last resort.
Any better ideas?
Try SSLBlackBox.
TOndrey gave you a good answer. I use SecureBlackBox as well.
You may consider some other third party components:
StreamSec
SecureBridge from DevArt
Be aware: if you add SSL/TLS support inside your executable, it might become restricted for export. If you're in the USA, this could mean that your application cannot be sold or given to people outside the USA. This is why these DLL's aren't part of Indy or Delphi themselves.
The libraries that Delphi uses are actually compiled DLL's from the OpenSSL project. But if you have a good knowledge of C then you should be able to compile the source to .obj files and link them with your Delphi code instead. You would probably need to modify part of the Indy code for this too. Of course, others could have done this too, but that makes the export of those Indy components (or even Delphi itself) more complex, because of those export restrictions.
Funnily enough, source code is protected by the first amendment which basically allows you to print the code in a book and then send it to some rogue nation. While if you'd send it in digital form (compiled or not) then you're committing a federal offence and probably will have to be careful when picking up the soap in the shower for at least a year... No one claimed that laws make sense. They can just be a pain in the [beep]...
Other SSL solutions don't work together with the Indy components, which would mean you'd have to rewrite part of your code to support those other solutions.
This link tells how you can load a DLL from memory, so you don't need to have it on disk. It's an alternate solution which I haven't tried. I don't think it will work, since the two DLL's depend on each other, but it might be worth a try...
Is the "Single EXE" requirement for distribution purposes or must it also be a single .EXE file when running on the client's machine?
If it's only for distribution purposes, you can append the DLL files to the end of your .EXE file and then - when the program starts - extract them from the .EXE file and store them locally as .DLL files, something like this:
VAR F,O : FILE;
VAR BUF : ARRAY[1..<MaxSizeOfDLLs>] OF BYTE;
ASSIGN(F,ParamStr(0)); RESET(F,1);
SEEK(F,<OriginalExeSize>);
BLOCKREAD(F,BUF,<FirstDllSize>);
ASSIGN(O,<NameOfFirstDLL>); REWRITE(O,1);
BLOCKWRITE(O,BUF,<FirstDllSize>); CLOSE(O);
BLOCKREAD(F,BUF,<SecondDllSize>);
ASSIGN(O,<NameOfSecondDLL>); REWRITE(O,1);
BLOCKWRITE(O,BUF,<SecondDllSize>); CLOSE(O);
SEEK(F,<OriginalExeSize>); TRUNCATE(F); CLOSE(F)
Quick'n'Dirty, not properly formatted, etc., but should give you the basic idea.
Have you tried compiling the OpenSLL source yourself and importing the object files into Delphi?
Recommended reading: Using C object files in Delphi - explains how to create a program that does not need a DLL, and can be deployed in one piece
I use Microsoft's CAPICOM for SSl3 and it solved my needs... It's freely redistributable but discontinued
If you try other components maybe you should look to SYNAPSE(at http://synapse.ararat.cz/) (I also use) it can work with StreamSec(and others) to send emails over ssl. Its free and easy to work.
Const
cdoSendUsingMethod = 'http://schemas.microsoft.com/cdo/configuration/sendusing';
cdoSMTPServer = 'http://schemas.microsoft.com/cdo/configuration/smtpserver';
cdoSMTPServerPort = 'http://schemas.microsoft.com/cdo/configuration/smtpserverport';
cdoSendServerPort = '25';
cdoSendUsingPort = 2;
cdoSMTPConnectionTimeout = 'http://schemas.microsoft.com/cdo/configuration/smtpconnectiontimeout';
cdoSMTPAuthenticate = 'http://schemas.microsoft.com/cdo/configuration/smtpauthenticate';
cdoAnonymous = '0';
cdoBasic = '1';
cdoSMTPUseSSL = 'http://schemas.microsoft.com/cdo/configuration/smtpusessl';
cdoSendUserName = 'http://schemas.microsoft.com/cdo/configuration/sendusername';
cdoSendPassword = 'http://schemas.microsoft.com/cdo/configuration/sendpassword';
cdoURLGetLatestVersion = 'http://schemas.microsoft.com/cdo/configuration/urlgetlatestversion';
...
function SensCDOMail (ASubject, AFrom, ATo, ABody, ASmtpServer : WideString): String;
var
cdoMessage:OleVariant;
cdoConfiguration: OleVariant;
begin
//Configuration Object
cdoMessage:= CreateOleObject('CDO.Message');
cdoConfiguration:= CreateOleObject('CDO.Configuration');
try
cdoConfiguration.Fields(cdoSendUsingMethod):= cdoSendUsingPort;
cdoConfiguration.Fields(cdoSMTPServer):= ASmtpServer;
cdoConfiguration.Fields(cdoSMTPServerPort):= cdoSendServerPort;
cdoConfiguration.Fields(cdoSMTPAuthenticate):= cdoAnonymous;
cdoConfiguration.Fields(cdoSMTPUseSSL ):= True; // use SSL
cdoConfiguration.Fields.Update;
cdoMessage.Configuration:= cdoConfiguration;
cdoMessage.To := ATo;
cdoMessage.From := AFrom;
cdoMessage.Subject := ASubject;
//cdoMessage.HTMLBody := ABody; //Want to send in Html format
cdoMessage.TextBody := ABody; //Want to send in text format
cdoMessage.Send;
finally
VarClear(cdoMessage);
VarClear(cdoConfiguration);
end;
end;
It is possible to include these DLLs into the program's executable as resources and either export them to files when used or even use them without exporting them first by relocating the code and searching the entry points in memory. I have got code somewhere for doing the latter....

Opening File paths with spaces in Delphi 5

(Using Delphi 5)
I am attempting to open a log file using the following code:
// The result of this is:
// C:\Program Files\MyProgram\whatever\..\Blah\logs\mylog.log
fileName := ExtractFilePath(Application.ExeName) + '..\Blah\logs\mylog.log';
// The file exists check passes
if (FileExists(fileName)) then
begin
logs := TStringList.Create();
// An exception is thrown here: 'unable to open file'
logs.LoadFromFile(fileName);
end;
If I relocate the log file to C:\mylog.log the code works perfectly. I'm thinking that the spaces in the file path are messing things up. Does anyone know if this is normal behavior for Delphi 5? If it is, is there a function to escape the space or transform the path into a windows 8.3 path?
I'm pretty sure that Delphi 5 handles spaces in filenames ok but it has been a very long time since I have used that specific version. Is the file currently open by another process? It also could be a permissions issue. Can you instead of loading it into a tStringList, try opening it with a tFileStream with the filemode set to "fmOpenRead or fmShareDenyNone".
fStm := tFileStream.Create( filename, fmOpenRead or fmShareDenyNone );
then load your tStringlist from the stream:
Logs.LoadFromStream ( fStm );
Are you sure its not the "..\" thats causing the problem rather than the spaces. Have you tried to see if it works at
c:\My\Path\nospaces\
If so and you are always using the ..\ path, maybe write a simple function to remove the last folder from your application path and create a full correct pathname.
It's odd that Delphi 5 would throw errors about this. I know of an issue with FileExists failing on files with an invalid last-modified-date (since it internally uses FileAge), but it's the opposite here. Instead of using "..\" I would consider risking the current path, and loading from a relative path: LoadFromFile('..\Something\Something.log'); especially for smaller applications, or by calling ExtractFilePath twice: ExtractFilePath(ExtractFilePath(Application.ExeName))
I'm pretty sure Delphi has always handled spaces so I doubt that is the issue.
You don't show the full path. Any chance it is really long? For example I could believe an issue with paths longer than 255 characters.
It's also a bad idea to put log files under Program Files. Often normal users are not given permission to write to anything under Program Files.
Delphi 5 can open files with spaces - that is certainly not the problem. To prove it, try copying it to c:\my log.log- it should open fine.
Is there any more information in the error message you receive? The most likely thing is that someone else (perhaps your own program) is still writing to the log.
The spaces are not a problem. While the '..' could be a problem in Delphi 5, mosts probably the file is locked by the process that writes to it. If you have control of it, make sure it opens the file with fmShareDenyWrite and not fmShareExclusive or fmShareCompat (which is the default).
Also, you can use:
fileName := ExpandFileName(ExtractFilePath(Application.ExeName) + '..\Blah\logs\mylog.log');
to obtain the absolute path from a relative path.
Also, as others have said, it is not good idea to write anything in Program Files. Regular users (that are not Administrators or Power Users) do not have rights to write there (although in Vista is will be virtualized, is is still not a good idea). Use the appropriate Application Data folder for the user (or all users). This folder can be obtained using:
SHGetFolderPath(0,folder,0,SHGFP_TYPE_CURRENT,#path[0])
where folder is either CSIDL_COMMON_APPDATA or CSIDL_LOCAL_APPDATA. See this delphi.about.com article for an example.
Simple :
// if log file = "C:\Program files\mylog.log"
// you'll get :
// »»»»» fileName = 'C:\Program files..\Blah\logs\mylog.log'
// if log file = "C:\mylog.log"
// you'll get :
// »»»»» fileName = 'C:..\Blah\logs\mylog.log'
Try this code instead, I'm pretty sure it will fit your needs :
fileName := IncludeTrailingPathDelimiter(ExtractFilePath(Application.ExeName))
+ '..\Blah\logs\mylog.log';
Regards,
Olivier
Delphi 5 has never had a problem opening files with spaces and I am still using it since it is uber stable and works great for older XP apps. You need to check your code closely.

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