SFAuthorizationView Class Reference
| Inherits from | |
| Conforms to | |
| Framework | /System/Library/Frameworks/SecurityInterface.framework |
| Availability | Available in OS X v10.3 and later |
| Companion guide | |
| Declared in | SFAuthorizationView.h |
Overview
The SFAuthorizationView class displays a lock icon that can be used as a visual indication that a user interface has restricted access.
The lock appears locked when the user must be authorized and appears open when the user has been authorized. The closed and open lock icons of the authorization view are shown in the following figure.
When you add an authorization view as a custom view to a window or dialog box, you must initialize it before it displays correctly. To initialize the view, use the setString: method to create a default rights structure (containing a prompt string) or the setAuthorizationRights: method to specify a rights structure. You must also either specify automatic updates (setAutoupdate: or setAutoupdate:interval:) or perform a manual update (updateStatus:) to set the lock icon to its initial state.
You can implement delegate methods that are invoked when the authorization view changes state. You can optionally implement the delegate methods to obtain the state of the authorization object when you are using an authorization view.
When the user clicks a locked authorization view icon, the Security Server displays an authentication dialog (to request a user name and password, for example). When the user provides the requested credentials, the lock icon unlocks and the user is considered preauthorized to perform the functions specified by the authorization rights structure. You can call the updateStatus: method to determine whether the user has been preauthorized: this method returns YES if the view is in the unlocked state, NO otherwise. Before committing changes or performing actions that require authorization, you should check the user’s authorization again, even if they are preauthorized.
The default behavior of this view is to preauthorize rights; if this is not possible it unlocks and waits for authorization to be checked when explicitly required.
Tasks
Setting Up the Authorization View
-
– setString: -
– setAuthorizationRights: -
– setAutoupdate: -
– setAutoupdate:interval: -
– setFlags: -
– setEnabled:
Setting and Getting the Delegate for the View
Updating the View
Getting Information About the Authorization View
Setting the Authorization State
Delegate Methods
-
– authorizationViewShouldDeauthorize:delegate method -
– authorizationViewCreatedAuthorization:delegate method -
– authorizationViewDidAuthorize:delegate method -
– authorizationViewDidDeauthorize:delegate method -
– authorizationViewDidHide:delegate method -
– authorizationViewReleasedAuthorization:delegate method
Instance Methods
authorization
Returns the authorization object associated with this view.
Discussion
The authorization object is defined in Security Foundation Framework Reference.
Availability
- Available in OS X v10.3 and later.
Declared In
SFAuthorizationView.hauthorizationRights
Returns the authorization rights for this view.
Availability
- Available in OS X v10.3 and later.
See Also
Declared In
SFAuthorizationView.hauthorizationState
Returns the current state of the authorization view.
Availability
- Available in OS X v10.3 and later.
See Also
Declared In
SFAuthorizationView.hauthorize:
Attempts to unlock the lock icon in the view.
Parameters
- inSender
The authorization view to unlock.
Discussion
This method has the same behavior as if the user clicked on the lock icon; if the user is authorized, the lock icon unlocks. If this method succeeds, it returns YES; if it fails, the lock icon remains locked and the method returns NO.
Availability
- Available in OS X v10.3 and later.
See Also
Declared In
SFAuthorizationView.hdeauthorize:
Sets the authorization state to unauthorized and locks the lock icon in the view.
Parameters
- inSender
The authorization view to lock.
Discussion
If this method succeeds, it returns YES; if it fails, the lock icon remains unlocked and the method returns NO.
Availability
- Available in OS X v10.3 and later.
See Also
Declared In
SFAuthorizationView.hdelegate
Returns the delegate for this view.
Availability
- Available in OS X v10.3 and later.
See Also
Declared In
SFAuthorizationView.hisEnabled
Indicates whether the authorization view is enabled (YES) or disabled (NO).
Availability
- Available in OS X v10.3 and later.
See Also
Declared In
SFAuthorizationView.hsetAuthorizationRights:
Sets the authorization rights for this view.
Parameters
- authorizationRights
An authorization rights structure specifying the authorization rights represented by the authorization view.
Discussion
Either this method or the setString: method must be called before the view displays correctly.
The authorization rights structures are defined in AuthorizationRights in Authorization Services C Reference.
Availability
- Available in OS X v10.3 and later.
See Also
Declared In
SFAuthorizationView.hsetAutoupdate:
Sets the authorization view to update itself automatically.
Parameters
- autoupdate
Specifies whether the authorization view should update itself automatically. Set to
YESto enable autoupdates.
Discussion
If autoupdates are enabled and the authorization times out (for example), the authorization view automatically relocks. If autoupdates are disabled, you have to call the updateStatus: method to manually update the view if the status changes when the user has not clicked on the lock icon. Autoupdates are disabled by default. Because autoupdates poll, they can affect system performance.
Availability
- Available in OS X v10.3 and later.
See Also
Declared In
SFAuthorizationView.hsetAutoupdate:interval:
Sets the authorization view to update itself at a specific interval.
Parameters
- autoupdate
Specifies whether the authorization view should update itself automatically. Set to
YESto enable autoupdates.- interval
If
autoupdateisYES, sets the interval at which updates take place, in seconds.
Discussion
If autoupdates are enabled and the authorization times out (for example), the authorization view automatically relocks. If autoupdates are disabled, you have to call the updateStatus: method to manually update the view if the status changes when the user has not clicked on the lock icon. Autoupdates are disabled by default. Because autoupdates poll, they can affect system performance. For that reason, you might want to set a time interval so that the polling does not take place as often.
Availability
- Available in OS X v10.3 and later.
See Also
Declared In
SFAuthorizationView.hsetDelegate:
Sets the delegate for this authorization view.
Parameters
- delegate
The object to which messages about the state of the authorization object should be sent.
Discussion
If you want to be notified of state changes (for example, when the user clicks the button), set a delegate and implement the delegate methods described in the delegate methods section.
Availability
- Available in OS X v10.3 and later.
See Also
Declared In
SFAuthorizationView.hsetEnabled:
Sets the current state of the authorization view.
Parameters
- enabled
Specifies whether the authorization view should be enabled (
YES) or disabled (NO).
Discussion
A disabled view is visible but dimmed.
Availability
- Available in OS X v10.3 and later.
See Also
Declared In
SFAuthorizationView.hsetFlags:
Sets the current authorization flags for the view.
Parameters
- flags
The authorization flags to set for this view.
Discussion
You can use this method to change the authorization flag settings made with the setAuthorizationRights: method or to specify flags other than the default (kAuthorizationFlagDefaults) used by the setString: method.
The authorization flags are described in Authorization Options in Authorization Services C Reference.
Availability
- Available in OS X v10.3 and later.
See Also
Declared In
SFAuthorizationView.hsetString:
Sets the requested-right string to use with the default authorization rights set.
Parameters
- authorizationString
The string to be displayed.
Discussion
This is a convenience method that creates an authorization rights set when you specify only the name of the requested right. The requested-right string is displayed in the Details pane of the user authentication dialog box. Either this method or the setAuthorizationRights: method must be called before the view displays correctly.
Availability
- Available in OS X v10.3 and later.
Declared In
SFAuthorizationView.hupdateStatus:
Manually updates the authorization view.
Parameters
- inSender
The authorization view to update.
Discussion
Calls to updateStatus: return YES if in the unlocked state, NO otherwise.
If autoupdates have not been set, you must call updateStatus for the authorization view’s initial state to display correctly. The Security Framework calls this method for you when you change the state of the lock (by calling deauthorize:, for example.
Availability
- Available in OS X v10.3 and later.
See Also
Declared In
SFAuthorizationView.hDelegate Methods
authorizationViewCreatedAuthorization:
Sent to the delegate to indicate the authorization object has been created or changed. If you have saved a copy of the authorization object for your own purposes, you should discard it and call authorization for a new authorization object.
Availability
- Available in OS X v10.3 and later.
Declared In
SFAuthorizationView.hauthorizationViewDidAuthorize:
Sent to the delegate to indicate the user was authorized and the authorization view was changed to unlocked.
Availability
- Available in OS X v10.3 and later.
Declared In
SFAuthorizationView.hauthorizationViewDidDeauthorize:
Sent to the delegate to indicate the user was deauthorized and the authorization view was changed to locked.
Availability
- Available in OS X v10.3 or later.
Declared In
SFAuthorizationView.hauthorizationViewDidHide:
Sent to the delegate to indicate that the view’s visibility has changed.
Discussion
This delegate method, if present, is called whenever the setHidden: method is called to show or hide the view.
Availability
- Available in OS X v10.7 and later.
Declared In
SFAuthorizationView.hauthorizationViewReleasedAuthorization:
Sent to the delegate to indicate that deauthorization is about to occur.
Discussion
This method is called after deauthorization has been approved (either you called the deauthorize: method, or the user clicked an open lock icon and the authorizationViewShouldDeauthorize: delegate method did not cancel the operation), and before the user is deauthorized (that is, before the authorizationViewDidDeauthorize: delegate method is called).
Availability
- Available in OS X v10.3 and later.
Declared In
SFAuthorizationView.hauthorizationViewShouldDeauthorize:
Sent to the delegate when a user clicks the open lock icon.
Discussion
The delegate can react to this before deauthorization happens and avoid it by returning NO. This delegate method is not called when you call the deauthorize: method.
Availability
- Available in OS X v10.3 and later.
See Also
Declared In
SFAuthorizationView.hConstants
These constants are of type SFAuthorizationViewState and define the current state of the authorization view.
© 2012 Apple Inc. All Rights Reserved. (Last updated: 2012-06-11)