File Extensions and Directory Writes
in [Visual Basic]
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From: mayayana on 13 Mar 2010 16:09 > > What I find interesting, however, is that my app creates a directory > under the app directory for storing the charts. So it appears that the > app can access read/write within \Program Files. I guess once it is > installed it is considered 'the man' and can write to these restricted > zones. ?? > I do the same thing, but I set full permission for all during install. I don't think it's necessarily full permission unless you do that. In other words, the admin who installed will have R/W permission in that folder, but regular users will not.
From: GS on 13 Mar 2010 16:40 Webbiz explained : > On Sat, 13 Mar 2010 12:57:52 -0500, GS <GS(a)discussions.microsoft.com> > wrote: > >>> I would love to have the application download this file from the >>> website automatically. It's easy to do. But I don't know how to >>> restrict non-clients who have my app from also getting the file. >>> Clients pay for this information. Non-clients do not. >>> >>> If I can find a solution to this part I would LOVE to do it. >>> >>> Thanks. >>> >>> Webbiz >> >> Is this app licensed? If so, could you not include whether this is >> available to your client in the license profile? Obviously, this >> requires your licensing methodology to support this and so is why I >> suggest going this route. This way, automatic download can be available >> from your app but is only allowed to apps with the correct feature >> enabled in the license profile. >> >> I.E.: If LicenseProfile.HasDownloadService Then DownloadWeeklyUpdate >> >> HTH >> Garry >> > > > My app is licensed. But here is the problem. > > Say a client comes along and subscribes to my services. This client > also purchases my app. She gets a license to use the app and also > access to the file for download. > > Later, however, she discontinues the services but wishes to continue > using the app. That's fine, she paid for it. However, the app is still > licensed to her and so she'd still have access to the file for > download although she no longer pays for that. That would be > unacceptable. > > The app is licensed indefinitely and does not expire unless the user > moves it to another computer or does a major change to the system (ie. > memory, hard drive, mb, etc.). Then the user simply visits the site > and fills out the form there for a new registration key and gets it > via email. > > I've been using this approach for 10 years successfully. > > So as you can see, I have no facility to prevent the indefinite > downloading of my file unless I periodically change its name and > release periodic updates to the app that notes this new filename. > Meanwhile, between updates the user gets my work without paying for > it. > > So for now, users who pay for the work must access the site with their > username and password and then click on the link to install the weekly > file that way. > > Webbiz I do exactly the same thing with my apps, whereby users who "subscribe" for Upgrade Assurance Protection can receive app upgrades for free along with 24/7 user support. This (UAP) is renewable annually so that users may opt out if they don't want it any longer. My apps manage this by evaluating the "HasUAP" property of the license profile to verify that the subscription has not expired. This is determined by evaluating the HasUAP property "value" against the current date, meaning THE property VALUE is the expiry date of the subscription. For example, if the license profile contains a future date (i.e.: HasUAP=10/24/2010) then the feature is enabled. I actually have a dedicated field in the license profile for this feature so it can be read directly, but it could also be implemented in other ways like using a property=value pair as shown here. This puts the choice of continuing the service entirely in the hands of the user. My apps notify users on startup 30 days before this feature expires. This happens only once so as not to annoy them every time they run the app. It also notifies once when expired. <<I would love to have the application download this file from the website automatically. It's easy to do. But I don't know how to restrict non-clients who have my app from also getting the file.>> It appears as though you are interested in keeping things 'low maintenance' for yourself and so is the reason I'm suggesting this approach. You only have to issue the license key as you normally would. In the case of a new subscriber, you simply issue an upgraded license key once you've been paid. Your apps can manage it all automatically because the process is built-in. You could manage the users however you like (i.e.: weekly subscription, monthly, yearly, fixed term, etc) by inserting the expiry date in the license profile. -- Garry
From: Webbiz on 13 Mar 2010 23:19 On Sat, 13 Mar 2010 16:40:05 -0500, GS <GS(a)discussions.microsoft.com> wrote: >Webbiz explained : >> On Sat, 13 Mar 2010 12:57:52 -0500, GS <GS(a)discussions.microsoft.com> >> wrote: >> >>>> I would love to have the application download this file from the >>>> website automatically. It's easy to do. But I don't know how to >>>> restrict non-clients who have my app from also getting the file. >>>> Clients pay for this information. Non-clients do not. >>>> >>>> If I can find a solution to this part I would LOVE to do it. >>>> >>>> Thanks. >>>> >>>> Webbiz >>> >>> Is this app licensed? If so, could you not include whether this is >>> available to your client in the license profile? Obviously, this >>> requires your licensing methodology to support this and so is why I >>> suggest going this route. This way, automatic download can be available >>> from your app but is only allowed to apps with the correct feature >>> enabled in the license profile. >>> >>> I.E.: If LicenseProfile.HasDownloadService Then DownloadWeeklyUpdate >>> >>> HTH >>> Garry >>> >> >> >> My app is licensed. But here is the problem. >> >> Say a client comes along and subscribes to my services. This client >> also purchases my app. She gets a license to use the app and also >> access to the file for download. >> >> Later, however, she discontinues the services but wishes to continue >> using the app. That's fine, she paid for it. However, the app is still >> licensed to her and so she'd still have access to the file for >> download although she no longer pays for that. That would be >> unacceptable. >> >> The app is licensed indefinitely and does not expire unless the user >> moves it to another computer or does a major change to the system (ie. >> memory, hard drive, mb, etc.). Then the user simply visits the site >> and fills out the form there for a new registration key and gets it >> via email. >> >> I've been using this approach for 10 years successfully. >> >> So as you can see, I have no facility to prevent the indefinite >> downloading of my file unless I periodically change its name and >> release periodic updates to the app that notes this new filename. >> Meanwhile, between updates the user gets my work without paying for >> it. >> >> So for now, users who pay for the work must access the site with their >> username and password and then click on the link to install the weekly >> file that way. >> >> Webbiz > >I do exactly the same thing with my apps, whereby users who "subscribe" >for Upgrade Assurance Protection can receive app upgrades for free >along with 24/7 user support. This (UAP) is renewable annually so that >users may opt out if they don't want it any longer. My apps manage this >by evaluating the "HasUAP" property of the license profile to verify >that the subscription has not expired. This is determined by evaluating >the HasUAP property "value" against the current date, meaning THE >property VALUE is the expiry date of the subscription. For example, if >the license profile contains a future date (i.e.: HasUAP=10/24/2010) >then the feature is enabled. I actually have a dedicated field in the >license profile for this feature so it can be read directly, but it >could also be implemented in other ways like using a property=value >pair as shown here. > >This puts the choice of continuing the service entirely in the hands of >the user. My apps notify users on startup 30 days before this feature >expires. This happens only once so as not to annoy them every time they >run the app. It also notifies once when expired. > > ><<I would love to have the application download this file from the >website automatically. It's easy to do. But I don't know how to >restrict non-clients who have my app from also getting the file.>> >It appears as though you are interested in keeping things 'low >maintenance' for yourself and so is the reason I'm suggesting this >approach. You only have to issue the license key as you normally would. >In the case of a new subscriber, you simply issue an upgraded license >key once you've been paid. Your apps can manage it all automatically >because the process is built-in. You could manage the users however you >like (i.e.: weekly subscription, monthly, yearly, fixed term, etc) by >inserting the expiry date in the license profile. I still don't see how this would work with what I'm need to do. Subscribers do not have expiration dates. When they join, it is an opened ended subscription much like joining the gym. As long as you make the monthly dues your subscription keeps going. At some point, however, someone will cancel the subscription. When that happens, I have no way of making the user get a new license for the app that disables the ability to use the download file. For what I need to work, I must be able to disable their apps ability immediately upon cancellation of service. Perhaps what I could do is create a file online that serves as a 'table' of subscribers. It would contain the User name that the program is licensed to. If the user is in the file table the app will know where to find and download what it needs. If the client cancels later, we can edit that table and remove the User name. It would be one more thing I would have to do of course, editing this table for new and leaving clients. But it is one approach. :-) Webbiz
From: Nobody on 13 Mar 2010 23:36 "Webbiz" <nospam(a)noway.com> wrote in message news:7goop5d70rclmsm7k93tg277d8nebvbfg6(a)4ax.com... > I still don't see how this would work with what I'm need to do. > Subscribers do not have expiration dates. When they join, it is an > opened ended subscription much like joining the gym. As long as you > make the monthly dues your subscription keeps going. > > At some point, however, someone will cancel the subscription. When > that happens, I have no way of making the user get a new license for > the app that disables the ability to use the download file. > > For what I need to work, I must be able to disable their apps ability > immediately upon cancellation of service. > > Perhaps what I could do is create a file online that serves as a > 'table' of subscribers. It would contain the User name that the > program is licensed to. If the user is in the file table the app will > know where to find and download what it needs. If the client cancels > later, we can edit that table and remove the User name. > > It would be one more thing I would have to do of course, editing this > table for new and leaving clients. But it is one approach. You need to make the URL for the file as follows: mysite.com/getfile.asp?SUBID=123456789 In the ASP file, which uses VBScript, you check the subscriber ID and use If/Then/Else. You can make the ID a very long random number, so guessing it would be difficult. Another way is to make a second file with a black listed ID's.
From: Nobody on 14 Mar 2010 00:44
"Nobody" <nobody(a)nobody.com> wrote in message news:uC92CAzwKHA.1548(a)TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl... > You need to make the URL for the file as follows: > > mysite.com/getfile.asp?SUBID=123456789 > > In the ASP file, which uses VBScript, you check the subscriber ID and use > If/Then/Else. You can make the ID a very long random number, so guessing > it would be difficult. Below is an ASP script sample. To try it, save it as "test.asp" and upload it to a Windows based host, then enter the URL like the following: mysite.com/getfile.asp?SubID=1234 Some of the code came from this site: http://www.learnasp.com/freebook/asp/ The code below does simple checks. If you want it to check a database, see "Databases" section in the link above for code samples. If you have a Unix/Linux host, then you have to use something else, like PHP. Fortunately, PHP runs on Windows, so you can test the script on a Windows machine, then upload it to Unix/Linux host without modifications(Except CR/LF conversion which is handled by most FTP software). See this site for PHP help: http://www.php.net Here is the ASP file: <html> <head> <TITLE>Test</TITLE> </head> <body> <% Option Explicit Dim SubID, fs, filename, f, s SubID=request.querystring("SubID") If SubID = "1234" Or SubID "1235" Then ' Subscriber is black listed Response.write "Access denied." Else ' Valid subscriber, send the file filename=server.mappath("/datafile.txt") Set fs = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject") Set f = fs.OpenTextFile(filename, 1, False) s=f.readall response.write s f.Close set f=nothing set fs=nothing End If %> </body> </html> |