Q: Is it possible to use the constants kAuthorizationEnvironmentUsername
and kAuthorizationEnvironmentPassword, which are
defined in "AuthorizationTags.h", in order to create my own
custom authorization dialog?
A: The behavior of these constants is currently undefined, so
you should not use them. Apple recommends that you take advantage of
the system-supplied authorization dialog because...
- in future versions of Mac OS X, users may be able to authenticate
by other methods such as Kerberos, finger print readers, or smart
cards, and your application will not behave correctly in these situations.
- it's more secure to let the system handle the user's password on
behalf of your application.
- using the built-in dialog allows for a consistent user experience
across all applications.
- depending on how the system is configured, asking the user for a
password might not even be required, so by using the system-supplied
dialog, the user will only be prompted for a password when necessary.
[Sep 20 2002] |