[AccessD] Lightweight security

This sounds nice - I have built similar setups for multiple clients
in the past, starting fresh each time and never taking the time to
genericize it.  What a knucklehead.

Good to hear you're putting together something that is plug-and-play.

-Christopher-

---- Original Message ----
From: jcolby at colbyconsulting.com
To: AccessD at databaseadvisors.com, 
Subject: RE: [AccessD] Lightweight security
Date: Sat, 18 Oct 2003 11:27:28 -0400

>Folks,
>
>I am working on my Light Weight Security system and am looking for 
>beta
>testers, i.e. people who would like an interface level security 
>system such
>as I am designing.  This email will briefly outline how things work 
>so that
>you can decide whether you would like to test it.  I am looking for
>PROGRAMMERS as beta testers.  LWS is currently a "monitor" only 
>system, i.e.
>it doesn't directly affect the form or control, it only allows the 
>developer
>to ask questions like "should this user (belonging to this set of 
>groups) be
>allowed to open the form, see this control" etc.  Thus the developer 
>needs
>to be capable of writing code to query the classes and apply the 
>answer as
>(s)he sees fit.  I may, at a later date, add the ability to have LWS
>actually set the properties discussed below which would allow use 
>with less
>programming but for now that isn't in place.
>
>LWS is designed to restrict basic operations on forms and controls.  
>The
>form operations / properties that it will affect are Open form, Edit 
>record,
>Delete record and Add record.  The control properties affected are 
>Enabled,
>Locked, and Visible.
>
>LWS is NOT designed to replace Access' (or SQL Server's) security.  
>LWS is
>designed to allow the developer to restrict operations at the 
>INTERFACE
>level, i.e. who can open forms, who can edit records in a given 
>form, who
>can SEE a given control on a given form, who can EDIT data in a given
>control on a given form.  These are fundamentally different issues 
>than the
>built in DATA security that Access and SQL Server provide.  I 
>designed LWS
>because my clients asked for things like "only allow certain users 
>to be
>able to see (or use) this control" or "only allow certain users to 
>be able
>to open this form" etc.
>
>As an example I occasionally have controls that reassign child 
>records to
>parent records (change the parent).  This is a "Supervisor only" 
>operation
>and requires either going directly into tables, or building specific 
>forms
>if I don't have a system like LWS.  with LWS I can set the control 
>Invisible
>as the form opens unless the user belongs to the Supervisor (or
>Administrator) group.
>
>LWS is designed around a Users / Groups metaphor similar to Windows 
>NT/2K/XP
>etc.  Users exist but don't directly have any innate abilities.  
>Users
>belong to Groups.  Groups can do things.
>
>There are a set of tables that support the LWS system:
>
>uSysLWSUsers contains user information - Name, PEID (mapped to your
>Personnel ID if you desire) and password hash (MD5).
>usystblLWSGroup contains group information - Name and the 2^x bit 
>that is
>used for mapping it's abilities later.
>usystblLWSGroupUser contains mappings of users to groups.  A simple 
>m-m
>uSysLWSUsers and usystblLWSGroup.
>MsysForms contains form security information - Form ID, Form name, 
>Open,
>Edit, Add and Delete maps.
>MsysControls contains control security information - Form ID, 
>Control name,
>Enabled, Locked and Visible maps
>
>There are a handful of forms to support LWS:
>
>usysfrmLWSLogin - The login form.
>usysfrmLWSUsers - The form for setting up users.
>usysfrmLWSGroups - The form for setting up groups.
>usyssfrmLWSGroupUser - The form for mapping groups to users.
>usyssfrmLWSUserGroup - The form for mapping users to groups.
>usysfrmLWSSetupFrmSecurity - The form that assists the developer in 
>setting
>up form security
>
>LWS is NOT finished, but all of the basic tables are in place, I am 
>using
>the login in my apps, and the code to monitor forms is up and 
>functioning.
>The code to monitor controls follows the same form and will be 
>available
>within the next week or two.
>
>LWS will be a library (MDA for now) with full source code available 
>to beta
>testers.  Please remember, I am looking for "code jocks" for now.    
>You
>should be comfortable instantiating classes, calling class methods 
>and
>setting class properties, manipulating form and control attributes 
>via VB
>etc.
>
>I will ask for a NDA since ya never know...
>
>Beta testers will be given a single developer license to use the 
>finished
>product, which is more than MS gives you!
>
>I think this should give enough information to allow you to decide 
>whether
>you are interested.  If you are interested, please contact me OFF 
>LIST at
>LWS at colbyconsulting.com.
>
>John W. Colby
>www.colbyconsulting.com
>
>
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