Users & Groups Issue

[djldc]

I am trying to find a way to give my users an update to my software without overwriting their "Defined Users and Groups". I am installing using Astrum and do not include data files or the runtime files for the update. Problem is, after installing the update their users/groups are deleted. Is there a solution? Thank you,

Don

[Stan Mathews]

Re: Users & Groups Issue

Give them a button which runs

A5_USER_GROUPS_DIALOG()

and have them Export the users and goups before the update then import them after?

[djldc]

Re: Users & Groups Issue

Stan,
That is a possible solution... but, I don't want to leave it up to a user to do that. I'd rather they install my update like any other update for other software. But, you do give me an idea:

In my programs, users are added, deleted, edited from a form (User Form) using Alpha's a5_add_new_user("mpassword", "John", "John"). I could just write a function to check that those users from my "user" table are in Alpha's "Defined Users and Groups". If they're not, just add them. If anyone has a better solution please let me know.

Don

[Stan Mathews]

Re: Users & Groups Issue

I don't want to leave it up to a user to do that

Can the installer check for the existence of files before beginning? You might be able to code that they must create the user file, then install, then import, then the user file is deleted.

I think users & groups export/import preserves existing user passwords. I don't think you can do that with the other functions.

[djldc]

Re: Users & Groups Issue

I realized that my solution would only work if they first entered a generic username and password to open the program because their own usernames/passwords would no longer be there to login. Though, I could also create a startup script for that generic user to automatically add all the users/passwords/groups on first run... and then delete that generic user when complete.


Don

[Garry Flanigan]

Re: Users & Groups Issue

A possible solution is:

1. Export users data to a file every time the user exits. I do not know a way to do this automatically, but maybe someone else does.
2. In your update, include a file called update.txt. This is a script to add the users, groups and passwords from the file created in step one. Alpha provides all the necessary funtions to do this. Update.txt is then used in script in next step
3. Include in your autoexec file something like the following code (this was based on an article some years ago but I do not remember who wrote it so cannot give the appropriate acknowledgement).

vPath = a5.Get_Master_Path()
IF a5.Get_Master_Path() = ""
	vPath = a5.Get_Path()
END IF
vFileName = vPath + chr(92)+"update.txt"
IF FileFind.get(vFileName)
	vReturn = ui_msg_box("Up Date File Found","Proceed with update?",UI_ATTENTION_SYMBOL+UI_YES_NO)
	IF vReturn = ui_no_selected
		end
	END IF
ELSE
	'ui_msg_box("No Update File Found","No update has been processed",UI_INFORMATION_SYMBOL)
	end
END IF
vCmd = get_from_file(vFileName)
file.remove(vFileName)
vSuccess = evaluate_template(vCmd)
IF vSuccess = "" 'will return "mMssing or invalid keyword" IF unsuccessful
	ui_msg_box("Completed","Update was completed successfully",UI_INFORMATION_SYMBOL)
ELSE
	ui_msg_box("ERROR","Update did not complete successfully",UI_STOP_SYMBOL)
END IF
xbasic_wait_for_idle()
END

Hope this helps.
Garry

[gmeredith17]

Re: Users & Groups Issue

This really is a major flaw in the built in insecurity module. I know it has made the wish list previously, requesting Alpha provide a way of updating without over writing.

Not sure how easy it would be for Alpha as sometimes the things we think are easy can be found to be quite difficult especially when you have to take security into account.

[Garry Flanigan]

Re: Users & Groups Issue

Given that it is possible to export the users and groups within Alpha, I have little doubt that a new function from the Alpha team would be extremely easy to write.
Garry

[Tom Cone Jr]

Re: Users & Groups Issue

Geoff, I agree it seems very odd that Alpha chose to put the user, group and password information in the database dictionaries, instead of using an external file.

In looking over the available xbasic functions I don't see a way to build a list of users with their current passwords. Is this possible?

Has anyone tried rebuilding the user, group, and password list from scratch? It seems to me that the installer might be able to run a script that opens the database, builds lists of users, groups, and passwords. Maybe it could then close the database and finish its installation. Then maybe it could re-open the database and delete all the users and groups. Finally, maybe it could re-build the user, group and password records using the previously created lists.

[Garry Flanigan]

Re: Users & Groups Issue

Tom,
Stan shows here how to import the security records. The only technical problem I see is how do you export the current security records with xbasic or AS given that there does not seem to be any functions.
Garry

[Tom Cone Jr]

Re: Users & Groups Issue

Morning, Garry.

I don't see a function to get the passwords, was hoping others could point me to one.

Other functions exist to get lists of the groups, users, and the groups for each user. Seemingly these lists could be used to reconstruct the security framework using other functions to add groups, add users, and then assign users to groups. I think we have all the pieces we need to rebuild the framework from scratch (without using the high level import function) ... except for the passwords.

Review: I'm wondering about this sequence:
a) you capture lists of existing users, groups, and users' groups
b) you install an update and overwrite the existing users, groups, and users' groups
c) you run a script that deletes all users and groups
d) the same script rebuilds the groups, users, and users' groups from the lists captured in the first step

Seems possible. Don't know if anyone has tried...

[Stan Mathews]

Re: Users & Groups Issue

The exportation of users, groups, and assignments seems straightforward enough, if a bit tedious to construct. The problem I see is that none of the functions reveals an exiting user's password.

This means to me that while you could export all the existing security info structure and reimport it, you would have to know the existing user passwords to reimplement them. Lacking those passwords you could always assign new passwords during the process.

Add an email field to the user table I attached in the other thread and you could email the users the passwords assigned to them.

[Keith Hubert]

Re: Users & Groups Issue

Hi Stan,

As you can import the same file that was exported.

Is there a way to create the same file outside of Alpha to Import?

[Stan Mathews]

Re: Users & Groups Issue

You can create the file any way you please as long as you save it as a .dbf table or import it into a .dbf table with the field names used in the script.


Here's the script to export the existing security, sans passwords.

master_pass = "test"
usrs = a5_get_users(master_pass)
tbl = table.open("ex_users")
FOR each foo in usrs
	grps = a5_get_user_assignments(master_pass,foo)
	FOR each nod in grps
		tbl.enter_begin()
		tbl.Master_password_ = master_pass
		tbl.User_name = foo.value
		tbl.User_password = "abc"
		tbl.Groups = nod.value
		tbl.enter_end(.t.)
	next
next
tbl.close()

So to your other question about overwriting existing user information, you should

export the existing security using the above
make any changes/additions - configure passwords to the exported table
install an update (which wipes out existing security ?)
import the table

[Garry Flanigan]

Re: Users & Groups Issue

Stan,
Excellent work as usual!
Garry