>Can the following be done under WinNT Server and Workstation SP3? I would like to make a certain subdirectory or subdirectories invisible to the users except through a VFP application. If the user looks for the subdirectory via NT Explorer or a DOS window or anything else other than the VFP app, the subdir will not appear. However, the VFP app has to be able to see the subdir.
> This subdir would hold the application's data. The goal is to prevent access to the data except through the app.
You could set the Hidden attribute of the directory; if set, it would not be visible in Explorer (or in a DOS DIR) if the View option to show all files including hidden and system files is not checked. This setting is available in Windows Explorer (unless blocked by a System Policy; you could make a custom policy and enforce it for anyone but a user with Admninistrative privileges.) Hidden directories can be accessed explicitly by reference, and could be seen in a DOS DIR listing with an optional command line switch. I am not certain if the Hidden attribute is respected across a network access; certainly, the View option of the network user will determine Explorer's behavior, not the Explorer setting of the machine with the hidden directory.
Across a network, you can use a separate share for your data directory. Assuming that you're in an MS Network environment, shares that end in '$' do not appear in the Network Neighborhood Browser, but can be accessed explicitly, IOW, if I have two shares on MyPC, C:\SomeDir with a sharename of
YouSeeMe, and C:\AnotherDir with a sharename of
InvisibleMan$, Network Neighborhood would only show the share
YouSeeMe. You could still map drives to the hidden share (sort of a dumb thing to do if you're trying to hide it) or reference things explicitly by UNC. VFP can use UNCs for file paths, VFP 5 & 6 can SET DEFAULT/CD to a UNC, and UNCs can be mixed with drive letter/path entries in a SET PATH statement. IOW, the following are legal, even though it's a hidden share:
USE
\\MyPC\InvisibleMan$\MYDBF
SET DEFAULT TO
\\MyPC\InvisibleMan$SET PATH TO C:\AppDir;
\\MyPC\InvisibleMan$;\\MyPC\YouSeeMe
Hiding a share has no effect on the local PC, which does not need to access the folder through the share name.
