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Help!! I've locked myself out!

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    #1

    Help!! I've locked myself out!

    Well, I've just put the finishing touches on my app and have started

    1) getting it ready for the Runtime environment

    2) Locking it down so that the user won't be able to tour the Control Panel, etc.

    Well, I followed an example and and added the a5.close() to the main form. I had Ass-You-Me'd that the lock out would somehow not apply to me.

    Anyway, I was going to restore an old version of the form from my backup area, but don't see any reference to them in the database folder.

    I did find a series of "backup" and "history" files, but thought I'd post first, rather than digging a deeper hole for my self.

    Any thoughts on how to get it so I can get back to the control panel for that database - preferably without losing today's work - is welcome and deeply appreciated.
    Tags: None
    #2
    Re: Help!! I've locked myself out!

    As you select the application, press ctrl-alt-shft and hit enter. You hopefully will get options that help but it depends on exactly what you did when setting up security.

    Garry

    Comment

      #3
      Re: Help!! I've locked myself out!

      If the Main form opens automatically when the app starts you can block that by opening the database in debug mode. Start Alpha Five from the START Menu. Hold down the Ctrl and Shift keys while opening the database from the File menu. Choose the option to NOT open the startup form.

      Comment

        #4
        Re: Help!! I've locked myself out!

        Originally posted by Tom Cone Jr View Post
        If the Main form opens automatically when the app starts you can block that by opening the database in debug mode. Start Alpha Five from the START Menu. Hold down the Ctrl and Shift keys while opening the database from the File menu. Choose the option to NOT open the startup form.
        Thanks man - I owe a cold one!

        I was trying the previous suggestion and I was losing all hope. i, of course made a copy/backup at the start of my day, but did a heck of a lot of work that I would have hated to lose.

        Another question though: I was looking for the actual form in the dir that contains my app, but couldn't find. Any thoughts on where those are located and is it possible to migrate/manipulate/copy just a form? Seems like this is going to be an issue when updating for the client occurs.

        Again, thank you Obi Wan - you were my only hope!

        Comment

          #5
          Re: Help!! I've locked myself out!

          Bill, your form layout is stored in the dictionaries supporting the table or set upon which it is based. For a complete list showing where everything is stored check the help file topic "Alpha Five File Types".

          A common solution to the problem you experienced is to put a hidden button or hotspot on the main menu form. This button would run a script that closes the main menu and shows the control panel. The button / hotspot could be password protected, or you could set it up so that only users who belong to certain security groups can run it.

          Good luck with your project.

          Comment

            #6
            Re: Help!! I've locked myself out!

            Tom,

            Again, you're a prince. I will be implementing those recommendations post haste.

            Comment

              #7
              Re: Help!! I've locked myself out!

              Originally posted by Tom Cone Jr View Post
              Bill, your form layout is stored in the dictionaries supporting the table or set upon which it is based. For a complete list showing where everything is stored check the help file topic "Alpha Five File Types".

              A common solution to the problem you experienced is to put a hidden button or hotspot on the main menu form. This button would run a script that closes the main menu and shows the control panel. The button / hotspot could be password protected, or you could set it up so that only users who belong to certain security groups can run it.

              Good luck with your project.
              I'd like to add some specifics about a "hidden button"....

              - If you actually "hide" a button, it won't do much good because nobody can get to it - including you.
              - If you use a hot spot, many people will move their cursor around just to find it. Of course, your button action should be protected so users can't do something they aren't supposed to do. (More on that below)
              - My idea of a "hidden button" is a regular button that is defined with no border and no text, has the "tab sequence" turned off, and is transparent. This type of button will not show up if the user simply waves the cursor over it. You have to know where it is in order to find it. (My preference is the left edge of the form about half way between the top and bottom of all objects on the form.)

              Protecting the button action

              There are a few methods I've used to protect the actions on these buttons:

              1. Add a password prompt when the user clicks the button. This works but can be annoying if you need to use it frequently during development.

              2. Use a password prompt as above but test for the name of your development computer also and skip the prompt if the computer name matches yours. (In this case, don't use a generic name for your computer!) You can use api_getmachinename() to find the computer name.

              3. IF there is no reason for anyone other than yourself to use the button or if there is no reason to use the button from a shadowed or runtime version, add an OnInit action that actually hides the button. For example:
              Code:
              FUNCTION HCtl_pnl_btn as C ()
    basic_dev_machine_name = "<your computer name>"
    'Checking only the first x characters allows it to work on all dev machines if you to have 
    'multiple dev machines with "suffixes" such as Dev_machine1, Dev_machine2, Dev_machine_joe, etc.
    basic_name_length = len(trim( basic_dev_machine_name ))
    'Base the IF on "=" because that's easier to understand than when done with "<>".
    IF left(api_getmachinename(), basic_name_length ) = basic_dev_machine_name
        EXIT FUNCTION    'Don't hide the button.
    ELSE
        'Hide the button if using the runtime -or- a shadowed app -or- A5 security and not an "admin" login.
        'The default for this next line includes security checks - it does not need to be removed for apps 
        'w/o A5 security enabled because user_name() will be blank in that case.
        IF a5_is_runtime() .or. a5.Get_Master_Path()<>"" .or. (user_name()<>"" .and. user_name()<>"administrator" .and. user_groups()<>"database admin")
            IF is_object("<your button name>")    'JIC the button is missing, mis-named, or has been removed.
                <your button name>.hide()
            END IF
        END IF
    END IF
END FUNCTION
              Of course, you will have to substitute the appropriate names for your system wherever the <your...> values are.

              Comment

                #8
                Re: Help!! I've locked myself out!

                Thank you Cal.

                Comment

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