How UAC will work in applications

Hello All,

I'm a bit confused about the way that UAC is going to work and what is going
to be acceptable to get the logo. I understand it in general terms and it
makes sense, but I'm confused about some aspects of it. Also, what about
backwards compatibility with Windows XP? Unfortunately, my application is
Win32 based as it is a legacy application, but the questions are relevant to
a Winfx application. Here are some queries:

1. My application can be run in two modes, administrator and standard user.
I want administrators to be able to do anything, but I only want standard
users to use the software in a sort of 'read only' mode. Currently, we
disable tabs in the application if you are not an administrator. Will
Microsoft expect that you should have everything enabled, and when the user
presses a control that requires administrator access, the UAC dialog will be
displayed that allows one to enter administrator details? If so, how will it
work with Windows XP? How is the manifest put in place to signify the access
rights for these functions?

2. I'm rewriting the installer from InstallShield to MSI so as to be able to
get the MS Vista logo. Again, I only want administrators to run the
installer. Will MSI automatically set it up so that it knows that
administrator access is required? Again, how will the manifest be put in
place to say that it is for administrators only?

Any help would be greatly appreciated!!
Nologo

Cut a long story short - if an application calls upon an administrative
feature or something that will globally change a setting or do something
globally to all users - UAC will kick in.

That's the long story short P

--
Zack Whittaker
» ZackNET Enterprises: www.zacknet.co.uk
» MSBlog on ResDev: www.msblog.org
» Vista Knowledge Base: www.vistabase.co.uk
» This mailing is provided "as is" with no warranties, and confers no
rights. All opinions expressed are those of myself unless stated so, and not
of my employer, best friend, Ghandi, my mother or my cat. Glad we cleared
that up!

--: Original message follows :--
"No Logo" <nologo-2006@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:e5f67r$9du$1@nntp.aioe.org...
> Hello All,
>
> I'm a bit confused about the way that UAC is going to work and what is
> going to be acceptable to get the logo. I understand it in general terms
> and it makes sense, but I'm confused about some aspects of it. Also, what
> about backwards compatibility with Windows XP? Unfortunately, my
> application is Win32 based as it is a legacy application, but the
> questions are relevant to a Winfx application. Here are some queries:
>
> 1. My application can be run in two modes, administrator and standard
> user. I want administrators to be able to do anything, but I only want
> standard users to use the software in a sort of 'read only' mode.
> Currently, we disable tabs in the application if you are not an
> administrator. Will Microsoft expect that you should have everything
> enabled, and when the user presses a control that requires administrator
> access, the UAC dialog will be displayed that allows one to enter
> administrator details? If so, how will it work with Windows XP? How is the
> manifest put in place to signify the access rights for these functions?
>
> 2. I'm rewriting the installer from InstallShield to MSI so as to be able
> to get the MS Vista logo. Again, I only want administrators to run the
> installer. Will MSI automatically set it up so that it knows that
> administrator access is required? Again, how will the manifest be put in
> place to say that it is for administrators only?
>
> Any help would be greatly appreciated!!
> Nologo
>

Let's get this clear:

When you talk about wanting "administrators to be able to do anything" and
standard users to "use the software in a sort of 'read only' mode", it
sounds to me like you're refering to the functionality of your application.

As Zack stated, you're likely to find that UAC is there to stop malicious
software (or any software, for that matter) from messing with the operating
system without explicit permission by the user.

And, speaking of MSI installers, you may be able to set a launch condition
for the MSI, stating that an administrator account is required for
installation. How this is done depends on what tool you are using to create
the MSI.

Hope this helps.

Cheers,
Brendan.

"Zack Whittaker" <admin@zacknet.co.uk> wrote in message
news:uux9Xq1gGHA.3588@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...
> Cut a long story short - if an application calls upon an administrative
> feature or something that will globally change a setting or do something
> globally to all users - UAC will kick in.
>
> That's the long story short P
>
> --
> Zack Whittaker
> » ZackNET Enterprises: www.zacknet.co.uk
> » MSBlog on ResDev: www.msblog.org
> » Vista Knowledge Base: www.vistabase.co.uk
> » This mailing is provided "as is" with no warranties, and confers no
> rights. All opinions expressed are those of myself unless stated so, and
> not
> of my employer, best friend, Ghandi, my mother or my cat. Glad we cleared
> that up!
>
> --: Original message follows :--
> "No Logo" <nologo-2006@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> news:e5f67r$9du$1@nntp.aioe.org...
>> Hello All,
>>
>> I'm a bit confused about the way that UAC is going to work and what is
>> going to be acceptable to get the logo. I understand it in general terms
>> and it makes sense, but I'm confused about some aspects of it. Also, what
>> about backwards compatibility with Windows XP? Unfortunately, my
>> application is Win32 based as it is a legacy application, but the
>> questions are relevant to a Winfx application. Here are some queries:
>>
>> 1. My application can be run in two modes, administrator and standard
>> user. I want administrators to be able to do anything, but I only want
>> standard users to use the software in a sort of 'read only' mode.
>> Currently, we disable tabs in the application if you are not an
>> administrator. Will Microsoft expect that you should have everything
>> enabled, and when the user presses a control that requires administrator
>> access, the UAC dialog will be displayed that allows one to enter
>> administrator details? If so, how will it work with Windows XP? How is
>> the manifest put in place to signify the access rights for these
>> functions?
>>
>> 2. I'm rewriting the installer from InstallShield to MSI so as to be able
>> to get the MS Vista logo. Again, I only want administrators to run the
>> installer. Will MSI automatically set it up so that it knows that
>> administrator access is required? Again, how will the manifest be put in
>> place to say that it is for administrators only?
>>
>> Any help would be greatly appreciated!!
>> Nologo
>>
>
>

Brendan, Zack,

Thanks for your responses. I'm familiar with how UAC works for Windows
Explorer, etc. I guess my question is more one of expectation. In our XP
edition, which we are updating, we have all controls enabled for power users
and some are disabled for limited users. Will Microsoft be expecting that
all controls will be enabled in an application and when a limited user
clicks on them, the dialog that asks for credentials will be presented to
the user? I'm hoping that we can achieve the logo for our product and want
to understand what the expectations will be.

Thanks again, guys!!
NoLogo

"Brendan Green" <bgreen@nospam.nospam> wrote in message
news:O6r8UE5gGHA.3572@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...
> Let's get this clear:
>
> When you talk about wanting "administrators to be able to do anything" and
> standard users to "use the software in a sort of 'read only' mode", it
> sounds to me like you're refering to the functionality of your
> application.
>
> As Zack stated, you're likely to find that UAC is there to stop malicious
> software (or any software, for that matter) from messing with the
> operating system without explicit permission by the user.
>
> And, speaking of MSI installers, you may be able to set a launch condition
> for the MSI, stating that an administrator account is required for
> installation. How this is done depends on what tool you are using to
> create the MSI.
>
> Hope this helps.
>
> Cheers,
> Brendan.
>
> "Zack Whittaker" <admin@zacknet.co.uk> wrote in message
> news:uux9Xq1gGHA.3588@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...
>> Cut a long story short - if an application calls upon an administrative
>> feature or something that will globally change a setting or do something
>> globally to all users - UAC will kick in.
>>
>> That's the long story short P
>>
>> --
>> Zack Whittaker
>> » ZackNET Enterprises: www.zacknet.co.uk
>> » MSBlog on ResDev: www.msblog.org
>> » Vista Knowledge Base: www.vistabase.co.uk
>> » This mailing is provided "as is" with no warranties, and confers no
>> rights. All opinions expressed are those of myself unless stated so, and
>> not
>> of my employer, best friend, Ghandi, my mother or my cat. Glad we cleared
>> that up!
>>
>> --: Original message follows :--
>> "No Logo" <nologo-2006@hotmail.com> wrote in message
>> news:e5f67r$9du$1@nntp.aioe.org...
>>> Hello All,
>>>
>>> I'm a bit confused about the way that UAC is going to work and what is
>>> going to be acceptable to get the logo. I understand it in general terms
>>> and it makes sense, but I'm confused about some aspects of it. Also,
>>> what about backwards compatibility with Windows XP? Unfortunately, my
>>> application is Win32 based as it is a legacy application, but the
>>> questions are relevant to a Winfx application. Here are some queries:
>>>
>>> 1. My application can be run in two modes, administrator and standard
>>> user. I want administrators to be able to do anything, but I only want
>>> standard users to use the software in a sort of 'read only' mode.
>>> Currently, we disable tabs in the application if you are not an
>>> administrator. Will Microsoft expect that you should have everything
>>> enabled, and when the user presses a control that requires administrator
>>> access, the UAC dialog will be displayed that allows one to enter
>>> administrator details? If so, how will it work with Windows XP? How is
>>> the manifest put in place to signify the access rights for these
>>> functions?
>>>
>>> 2. I'm rewriting the installer from InstallShield to MSI so as to be
>>> able to get the MS Vista logo. Again, I only want administrators to run
>>> the installer. Will MSI automatically set it up so that it knows that
>>> administrator access is required? Again, how will the manifest be put in
>>> place to say that it is for administrators only?
>>>
>>> Any help would be greatly appreciated!!
>>> Nologo
>>>
>>
>>
>
>

Well, UAC isn't being backported to XP, so if you're a limited user and you
require the status of a power user or vice versa, the administrative prompt
may pop up to authenticate you're an administrator, or just cancel the
setup/action.

--
Zack Whittaker
» ZackNET Enterprises: www.zacknet.co.uk
» MSBlog on ResDev: www.msblog.org
» Vista Knowledge Base: www.vistabase.co.uk
» This mailing is provided "as is" with no warranties, and confers no
rights. All opinions expressed are those of myself unless stated so, and not
of my employer, best friend, Ghandi, my mother or my cat. Glad we cleared
that up!

--: Original message follows :--
"No Logo" <nologo-2006@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:e5h7ju$toe$1@nntp.aioe.org...
> Brendan, Zack,
>
> Thanks for your responses. I'm familiar with how UAC works for Windows
> Explorer, etc. I guess my question is more one of expectation. In our XP
> edition, which we are updating, we have all controls enabled for power
> users and some are disabled for limited users. Will Microsoft be expecting
> that all controls will be enabled in an application and when a limited
> user clicks on them, the dialog that asks for credentials will be
> presented to the user? I'm hoping that we can achieve the logo for our
> product and want to understand what the expectations will be.
>
> Thanks again, guys!!
> NoLogo
>
> "Brendan Green" <bgreen@nospam.nospam> wrote in message
> news:O6r8UE5gGHA.3572@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...
>> Let's get this clear:
>>
>> When you talk about wanting "administrators to be able to do anything"
>> and standard users to "use the software in a sort of 'read only' mode",
>> it sounds to me like you're refering to the functionality of your
>> application.
>>
>> As Zack stated, you're likely to find that UAC is there to stop malicious
>> software (or any software, for that matter) from messing with the
>> operating system without explicit permission by the user.
>>
>> And, speaking of MSI installers, you may be able to set a launch
>> condition for the MSI, stating that an administrator account is required
>> for installation. How this is done depends on what tool you are using to
>> create the MSI.
>>
>> Hope this helps.
>>
>> Cheers,
>> Brendan.
>>
>> "Zack Whittaker" <admin@zacknet.co.uk> wrote in message
>> news:uux9Xq1gGHA.3588@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...
>>> Cut a long story short - if an application calls upon an administrative
>>> feature or something that will globally change a setting or do something
>>> globally to all users - UAC will kick in.
>>>
>>> That's the long story short P
>>>
>>> --
>>> Zack Whittaker
>>> » ZackNET Enterprises: www.zacknet.co.uk
>>> » MSBlog on ResDev: www.msblog.org
>>> » Vista Knowledge Base: www.vistabase.co.uk
>>> » This mailing is provided "as is" with no warranties, and confers no
>>> rights. All opinions expressed are those of myself unless stated so, and
>>> not
>>> of my employer, best friend, Ghandi, my mother or my cat. Glad we
>>> cleared
>>> that up!
>>>
>>> --: Original message follows :--
>>> "No Logo" <nologo-2006@hotmail.com> wrote in message
>>> news:e5f67r$9du$1@nntp.aioe.org...
>>>> Hello All,
>>>>
>>>> I'm a bit confused about the way that UAC is going to work and what is
>>>> going to be acceptable to get the logo. I understand it in general
>>>> terms and it makes sense, but I'm confused about some aspects of it.
>>>> Also, what about backwards compatibility with Windows XP?
>>>> Unfortunately, my application is Win32 based as it is a legacy
>>>> application, but the questions are relevant to a Winfx application.
>>>> Here are some queries:
>>>>
>>>> 1. My application can be run in two modes, administrator and standard
>>>> user. I want administrators to be able to do anything, but I only want
>>>> standard users to use the software in a sort of 'read only' mode.
>>>> Currently, we disable tabs in the application if you are not an
>>>> administrator. Will Microsoft expect that you should have everything
>>>> enabled, and when the user presses a control that requires
>>>> administrator access, the UAC dialog will be displayed that allows one
>>>> to enter administrator details? If so, how will it work with Windows
>>>> XP? How is the manifest put in place to signify the access rights for
>>>> these functions?
>>>>
>>>> 2. I'm rewriting the installer from InstallShield to MSI so as to be
>>>> able to get the MS Vista logo. Again, I only want administrators to run
>>>> the installer. Will MSI automatically set it up so that it knows that
>>>> administrator access is required? Again, how will the manifest be put
>>>> in place to say that it is for administrators only?
>>>>
>>>> Any help would be greatly appreciated!!
>>>> Nologo
>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>
>

I'd doubt that Microsoft would be expecting things that are fully controlled
by your application to conform to any specifications regarding UAC.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but you're saying that you application will have
controls that are available to certain users, and that if they don't have
the requried privileges, that UAC would kick in. I *don't* think that this
would be the case. It'd be up to your application to perform the checking,
and then the elevation of privileges where necessary.

UAC is all about protecting the OS, not about the ins-and-outs of your
application.

"No Logo" <nologo-2006@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:e5h7ju$toe$1@nntp.aioe.org...
> Brendan, Zack,
>
> Thanks for your responses. I'm familiar with how UAC works for Windows
> Explorer, etc. I guess my question is more one of expectation. In our XP
> edition, which we are updating, we have all controls enabled for power
> users and some are disabled for limited users. Will Microsoft be expecting
> that all controls will be enabled in an application and when a limited
> user clicks on them, the dialog that asks for credentials will be
> presented to the user? I'm hoping that we can achieve the logo for our
> product and want to understand what the expectations will be.
>
> Thanks again, guys!!
> NoLogo
>
> "Brendan Green" <bgreen@nospam.nospam> wrote in message
> news:O6r8UE5gGHA.3572@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...
>> Let's get this clear:
>>
>> When you talk about wanting "administrators to be able to do anything"
>> and standard users to "use the software in a sort of 'read only' mode",
>> it sounds to me like you're refering to the functionality of your
>> application.
>>
>> As Zack stated, you're likely to find that UAC is there to stop malicious
>> software (or any software, for that matter) from messing with the
>> operating system without explicit permission by the user.
>>
>> And, speaking of MSI installers, you may be able to set a launch
>> condition for the MSI, stating that an administrator account is required
>> for installation. How this is done depends on what tool you are using to
>> create the MSI.
>>
>> Hope this helps.
>>
>> Cheers,
>> Brendan.
>>
>> "Zack Whittaker" <admin@zacknet.co.uk> wrote in message
>> news:uux9Xq1gGHA.3588@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...
>>> Cut a long story short - if an application calls upon an administrative
>>> feature or something that will globally change a setting or do something
>>> globally to all users - UAC will kick in.
>>>
>>> That's the long story short P
>>>
>>> --
>>> Zack Whittaker
>>> » ZackNET Enterprises: www.zacknet.co.uk
>>> » MSBlog on ResDev: www.msblog.org
>>> » Vista Knowledge Base: www.vistabase.co.uk
>>> » This mailing is provided "as is" with no warranties, and confers no
>>> rights. All opinions expressed are those of myself unless stated so, and
>>> not
>>> of my employer, best friend, Ghandi, my mother or my cat. Glad we
>>> cleared
>>> that up!
>>>
>>> --: Original message follows :--
>>> "No Logo" <nologo-2006@hotmail.com> wrote in message
>>> news:e5f67r$9du$1@nntp.aioe.org...
>>>> Hello All,
>>>>
>>>> I'm a bit confused about the way that UAC is going to work and what is
>>>> going to be acceptable to get the logo. I understand it in general
>>>> terms and it makes sense, but I'm confused about some aspects of it.
>>>> Also, what about backwards compatibility with Windows XP?
>>>> Unfortunately, my application is Win32 based as it is a legacy
>>>> application, but the questions are relevant to a Winfx application.
>>>> Here are some queries:
>>>>
>>>> 1. My application can be run in two modes, administrator and standard
>>>> user. I want administrators to be able to do anything, but I only want
>>>> standard users to use the software in a sort of 'read only' mode.
>>>> Currently, we disable tabs in the application if you are not an
>>>> administrator. Will Microsoft expect that you should have everything
>>>> enabled, and when the user presses a control that requires
>>>> administrator access, the UAC dialog will be displayed that allows one
>>>> to enter administrator details? If so, how will it work with Windows
>>>> XP? How is the manifest put in place to signify the access rights for
>>>> these functions?
>>>>
>>>> 2. I'm rewriting the installer from InstallShield to MSI so as to be
>>>> able to get the MS Vista logo. Again, I only want administrators to run
>>>> the installer. Will MSI automatically set it up so that it knows that
>>>> administrator access is required? Again, how will the manifest be put
>>>> in place to say that it is for administrators only?
>>>>
>>>> Any help would be greatly appreciated!!
>>>> Nologo
>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>
>

As Brendan mentioned, UAC is for processes that need or want Windows user
admin rights on a machine, not for functionality in your app that you want
to be "admin-only" but that does not require admin rights on the machine.

Assuming you do need Windows admin rights for that functionality, here is
how I understand it your options:

1) Require the whole application be admin only by indicating a
requestedExecutionLevel of requireAdministrator in the application's
manifest. You'll get the UAC dialog every time you try to run the app. This
is the least appealing option as your limited users wouldn't be able to run
it.

2) Set your app manifest's requestedExecutionLevelLevel to
highestAvailable, and change your app so that admin-only features are
enabled in the UI only when the required rights were actually granted.
You'll get the UAC dialog here too (I think) but at least limited users will
be able to run it. But they won't be able to get admin rights without
relaunching the app and getting UAC to give them.

3) Separate your admin and limited use functionality into two separate
apps. Do step 1 on the admin app

4) Separate you admin functionality into a separate app or out-of-process
COM server and call it using ShellExecute with the correct options or the
appropriate COM API (CoCreateInstanceAsAdmin I think). Decorate the UI
elements that make those calls in your main app with the shield logo that
Vista uses in many Control Panel dialogs to indicate that they require
elevated permissions (details on this are supposed to be in the UX
guidelines eventually).

You'll note that the underlying theme to all of these options is that you
need to get the admin rights when the process that needs them is launched
and that process cannot elevate the rights later.

Pretty much all of this was gleaned from this document:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/windowsvis...cprotvista.asp

Hope it helps.


"No Logo" <nologo-2006@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:e5f67r$9du$1@nntp.aioe.org...
> Hello All,
>
> I'm a bit confused about the way that UAC is going to work and what is
> going to be acceptable to get the logo. I understand it in general terms
> and it makes sense, but I'm confused about some aspects of it. Also, what
> about backwards compatibility with Windows XP? Unfortunately, my
> application is Win32 based as it is a legacy application, but the
> questions are relevant to a Winfx application. Here are some queries:
>
> 1. My application can be run in two modes, administrator and standard
> user. I want administrators to be able to do anything, but I only want
> standard users to use the software in a sort of 'read only' mode.
> Currently, we disable tabs in the application if you are not an
> administrator. Will Microsoft expect that you should have everything
> enabled, and when the user presses a control that requires administrator
> access, the UAC dialog will be displayed that allows one to enter
> administrator details? If so, how will it work with Windows XP? How is the
> manifest put in place to signify the access rights for these functions?
>
> 2. I'm rewriting the installer from InstallShield to MSI so as to be able
> to get the MS Vista logo. Again, I only want administrators to run the
> installer. Will MSI automatically set it up so that it knows that
> administrator access is required? Again, how will the manifest be put in
> place to say that it is for administrators only?
>
> Any help would be greatly appreciated!!
> Nologo
>

Chris,

Thanks very much for your thorough response. This is pretty much what I need
to know. Currently, when an administrator opens the application they get all
functionality and when they run it as a limited user, they get less
functionality. I think that I may leave it this way as the application is a
monitoring piece of software and providing this level of control is not
really necessary. Limited users will still be able to see what's going on
and that should be sufficient.

Thanks everyone!
NoLogo

"Chris Altmann" <avalid@emailaddress.zoo> wrote in message
news:%23OcyZHEhGHA.5064@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...
> As Brendan mentioned, UAC is for processes that need or want Windows user
> admin rights on a machine, not for functionality in your app that you want
> to be "admin-only" but that does not require admin rights on the machine.
>
> Assuming you do need Windows admin rights for that functionality, here is
> how I understand it your options:
>
> 1) Require the whole application be admin only by indicating a
> requestedExecutionLevel of requireAdministrator in the application's
> manifest. You'll get the UAC dialog every time you try to run the app.
> This is the least appealing option as your limited users wouldn't be able
> to run it.
>
> 2) Set your app manifest's requestedExecutionLevelLevel to
> highestAvailable, and change your app so that admin-only features are
> enabled in the UI only when the required rights were actually granted.
> You'll get the UAC dialog here too (I think) but at least limited users
> will be able to run it. But they won't be able to get admin rights without
> relaunching the app and getting UAC to give them.
>
> 3) Separate your admin and limited use functionality into two separate
> apps. Do step 1 on the admin app
>
> 4) Separate you admin functionality into a separate app or out-of-process
> COM server and call it using ShellExecute with the correct options or the
> appropriate COM API (CoCreateInstanceAsAdmin I think). Decorate the UI
> elements that make those calls in your main app with the shield logo that
> Vista uses in many Control Panel dialogs to indicate that they require
> elevated permissions (details on this are supposed to be in the UX
> guidelines eventually).
>
> You'll note that the underlying theme to all of these options is that you
> need to get the admin rights when the process that needs them is launched
> and that process cannot elevate the rights later.
>
> Pretty much all of this was gleaned from this document:
> http://msdn.microsoft.com/windowsvis...cprotvista.asp
>
> Hope it helps.
>
>
> "No Logo" <nologo-2006@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> news:e5f67r$9du$1@nntp.aioe.org...
>> Hello All,
>>
>> I'm a bit confused about the way that UAC is going to work and what is
>> going to be acceptable to get the logo. I understand it in general terms
>> and it makes sense, but I'm confused about some aspects of it. Also, what
>> about backwards compatibility with Windows XP? Unfortunately, my
>> application is Win32 based as it is a legacy application, but the
>> questions are relevant to a Winfx application. Here are some queries:
>>
>> 1. My application can be run in two modes, administrator and standard
>> user. I want administrators to be able to do anything, but I only want
>> standard users to use the software in a sort of 'read only' mode.
>> Currently, we disable tabs in the application if you are not an
>> administrator. Will Microsoft expect that you should have everything
>> enabled, and when the user presses a control that requires administrator
>> access, the UAC dialog will be displayed that allows one to enter
>> administrator details? If so, how will it work with Windows XP? How is
>> the manifest put in place to signify the access rights for these
>> functions?
>>
>> 2. I'm rewriting the installer from InstallShield to MSI so as to be able
>> to get the MS Vista logo. Again, I only want administrators to run the
>> installer. Will MSI automatically set it up so that it knows that
>> administrator access is required? Again, how will the manifest be put in
>> place to say that it is for administrators only?
>>
>> Any help would be greatly appreciated!!
>> Nologo
>>
>
>