The ASTA Security Component is a powerful end-user security administration tool designed for ASTA applications. Security Components for Delphi has been extended to add specific support for ASTA. The main component, the TUsersASTA, allows client applications to be developed that can integrate security levels into Visual controls easily.

TUsersASTA is descended from the TUsersCS. TUsersASTA only uses the components of the ASTA library, so you can use it in your n-tier and Internet based applications without no extra code or extra libraries. The component allows you to control the access to the application through a login screen, where the user name and its password are requested. The main characteristic is that the component also allows grant/deny the user access to the various components inside the application like buttons, panels, dbnavigators and its buttons, dbgrids and its columns, Tfields, toolbars, menuitems and virtually any TControl descendant. The component works disabling or making invisible the components the user has no permission to use/view/modify.

TUsersASTA package comes with another component, TUsersASTAReg, that allows the developer register at design time the components he wants to protect. The developer just needs to activate the Component Registration Form and check the most relevant components. The developer also can change the caption value, to change the text that will be showed in the User Administration Module. Each form that needs to be protected will need a TUsersASTAReg component, including DataModules.

The component has a built-in User Administration Module that allows the security administrator of the application easily manage and create users and profiles (or user groups). The User Administration Module shows a list of the application's forms and, to the selected form, show its components in a TTreeview that imitates the forms component hierarchy. The Application_ Security Administrator just needs to click in the desired item to grant/deny access to the application's component to the selected used.

Other interesting features:

• Multi-application Support: You can share the security database between several applications. In this way, it is not necessary to re-add the users for each new application. It's very useful in corporative environments.

• User Profiles: it allows you to concentrate in a profile security attributions that can be propagated for a group of users. The profile exists to facilitate and to standardize the management of security in environments where there are a large number of users.

• User Expiration Date: property that indicates the day where the user will not be able more to use an application, becoming inactive. Useful when the users go for vacations or when temporary applications are used.

• Period for obligating the user change its password: a way to force users of a profile to change its password from time to time, magnifying the security.

• Support to any Relational database and also to Paradox and MS-Access: the TUsersASTA database can be generated virtually in any R-DBMS of the market, as for example, Interbase, MS-SQL Server, Oracle, Sybase, Informix and others. It also has the possibility of generation of the security database in Paradox and MS-Access.

• Customization of the Login Screen and of the password cryptography routines.

• AuditorShip: Tracing of Login/Logout of the users and possibility of tracing of other activities as record deletion.

• Allows Sub Administrators (to distribute the applications security administration work between some users).

• Developer chooses which the components it wants to protect.

• Maximum number of attempts of login and the minimum size of the users password

About the Author

Jackson Gome is the owner of Tools & Comps and a Strategic Partner with the ASTA Technology Group. He can be reached at info@toolsandcomps.com.

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