[RESOLVED] Access Denied - Creating Directories when not authenticated

[SeanGrebey]

As part of my new user setup, when they sign up for an account I create want to be able to create a directory under a Documents folder for them and then write a web.config file in that folder limiting access to it to the new account. However because they are still in the process they are an unauthenticated user at that point (Forms authentication), and I get an error that they don't have rights to that folder I want to create their sub-folder in. What do I need to set the folder security at to be able to create a folder and a file in that folder from code?

[NeedSomeAnswers]

However because they are still in the process they are an unauthenticated user at that point (Forms authentication), and I get an error that they don't have rights to that folder I want to create their sub-folder in. What do I need to set the folder security at to be able to create a folder and a file in that folder from code?

Where are you trying to create this folder on the file system ??

Surely you are creating the folder in code, and therefore creating the folder should have nothing to do with the users rights?? your application should have the rights!!

However a Web application does not have the same access to the file system that a windows application it is limited to creating folders and files in its root directory.

[SeanGrebey]

Where are you trying to create this folder on the file system ??

Surely you are creating the folder in code, and therefore creating the folder should have nothing to do with the users rights?? your application should have the rights!!

However a Web application does not have the same access to the file system that a windows application it is limited to creating folders and files in its root directory.

I'm doing it under a ~\Documents\ directory. How do I determine what account the application runs under in debug on the local machine? In production it is Network Service in the app pool. I don't know how to check that in debug. I've never had issue on the local machine until I tried to do it when I am not authenticated. If I look at the directory security I see an Authenticated User having rights.

Sorry I'm awful with security.

[szlamany]

So you have created a Documents folder in your wwwroot top level directory.

And now you want CODE BEHIND to create a sub-directory.

Show the code you are using to create this directory.

[SeanGrebey]

So you have created a Documents folder in your wwwroot top level directory.

And now you want CODE BEHIND to create a sub-directory.

Show the code you are using to create this directory.

Sure.

m_strSavePath = "~\Documents\#" where number is a new ID. I bolded where it excepts because I don't have proper rights.

Public Function CreateCompanyDirectoriesAndWriteWebConfigs(ByVal intCompanyID As Int32) As Boolean
        Dim boolResult As Boolean = True
        Dim oSQL As New clsSQL

        Try
            Dim strUserRole As String = intCompanyID.ToString() & "_reg"
            Dim strAdminRole As String = intCompanyID.ToString() & "_admin"

            Roles.CreateRole(strUserRole)
            Roles.CreateRole(strAdminRole)

            Directory.CreateDirectory(m_strSavePath)
            Directory.CreateDirectory(m_strSavePath & "\Customer")
            Directory.CreateDirectory(m_strSavePath & "\Internal")
            Directory.CreateDirectory(m_strSavePath & "\Shared")

            Dim strWebConfig As String = m_strSavePath & "\Customer\web.config"

            Dim fs As New FileStream(HttpContext.Current.Server.MapPath(strWebConfig), FileMode.Create, FileAccess.Write)
            Dim sw As New StreamWriter(fs)

            sw.WriteLine("<?xml version=""1.0""?>")
            sw.WriteLine("<configuration>")
            sw.WriteLine("")
            sw.WriteLine("<system.web>")
            sw.WriteLine("<authorization>")
            sw.WriteLine("<allow roles=""" & strUserRole & """/>")
            sw.WriteLine("<allow roles=""" & strAdminRole & """/>")
            sw.WriteLine("<deny users=""*""/>")
            sw.WriteLine("</authorization>")
            sw.WriteLine("</system.web>")
            sw.WriteLine("")
            sw.WriteLine("</configuration>")

            sw.Close()
            fs.Close()

            strWebConfig = m_strSavePath & "\Internal\web.config"

            fs = New FileStream(HttpContext.Current.Server.MapPath(strWebConfig), FileMode.Create, FileAccess.Write)
            sw = New StreamWriter(fs)

            sw.WriteLine("<?xml version=""1.0""?>")
            sw.WriteLine("<configuration>")
            sw.WriteLine("")
            sw.WriteLine("<system.web>")
            sw.WriteLine("<authorization>")
            sw.WriteLine("<allow roles=""" & strAdminRole & """/>")
            sw.WriteLine("<deny users=""*""/>")
            sw.WriteLine("</authorization>")
            sw.WriteLine("</system.web>")
            sw.WriteLine("")
            sw.WriteLine("</configuration>")

            sw.Close()
            fs.Close()

            strWebConfig = m_strSavePath & "\Shared\web.config"

            fs = New FileStream(HttpContext.Current.Server.MapPath(strWebConfig), FileMode.Create, FileAccess.Write)
            sw = New StreamWriter(fs)

            sw.WriteLine("<?xml version=""1.0""?>")
            sw.WriteLine("<configuration>")
            sw.WriteLine("")
            sw.WriteLine("<system.web>")
            sw.WriteLine("<authorization>")
            sw.WriteLine("<allow roles=""" & strUserRole & """/>")
            sw.WriteLine("<allow roles=""" & strAdminRole & """/>")
            sw.WriteLine("<deny users=""*""/>")
            sw.WriteLine("</authorization>")
            sw.WriteLine("</system.web>")
            sw.WriteLine("")
            sw.WriteLine("</configuration>")

            sw.Close()
            fs.Close()

        Catch ex As Exception
            boolResult = False

            m_strLastError = ex.Message
        End Try

        Return boolResult
    End Function

[szlamany]

When I touch the virtual directory from backend code I use the whole C:\ path and it always works.

<add key="logfolder" value="C:\inetpub\wwwroot\logs" />

Dim strLogFolder As String = System.Web.Configuration.WebConfigurationManager.AppSettings("logfolder")
strLogFile = Path.Combine(strLogFolder, strLogFile)
Using fs1 As FileStream = New FileStream(strLogFile, FileMode.Append, FileAccess.Write)

Do not use the ~\ folder specification

[szlamany]

Is that what MapPath does?

[SeanGrebey]

Is that what MapPath does?

Yep, it is, and I missed that I wasn't doing it on my directory creation. Thanks so much that fixed it.

[szlamany]

I've got clients that might map a share for things like this and MapPath won't handle that.

I always web.config my paths, fwiw.