Storing Application Specific Data Regardless of User

[Guest]

Every time my application starts it sends it own "Machine ID" to my server to check and see if it has an active license associated with it, If there is a valid license available it returns a temp API Key that the application can use to access my dataservice. If not it prompts the user to register their Machine with a valid license key.

The problem is coming up with a way to Get / Generate a "Machine ID" that every user on the one machine has access to. 

I tried using the MAC address and it worked on my PC but on a test user's MacBook it had issues with the order of the NICS changing when calling 

private function get_mac():String

{

     var networkInterface : Object = NetworkInfo.networkInfo.findInterfaces();

     var networkInfo : Object = networkInterface[0];

     return networkInfo.hardwareAddress.toString();

}

so i could not reliably use this method.( I dont know if something like a wireless switch on a laptop would affect the array of NICS maybe?)

So rethinking everything i decided i would generate my own "Machine ID" using either codegenas3 or mx.utils.UIDUtil;

Then simply storing the "Machine ID" in a common place that every user on the machine would have access to, but I can not figure out where to place it.

So in short where could you store a simple String either in a file or local store that every user would have access to.

I thought this would work but no dice other users on machine were not able to access the wpsc.sys file.

private function get_MachineID():String

{

     var uuid:String;

     var _file:File = File.applicationDirectory.resolvePath("wpsc.sys");

     var fs:FileStream = new FileStream();

   
      fs.open(_file, FileMode.UPDATE);

     if (fs.bytesAvailable == 0)    

     {

          uuid = UIDUtil.createUID();

          fs.writeUTF(uuid);

          fs.close();

     }

     else

     {

          fs.position = 0;

          uuid = fs.readUTF();

          fs.close();

     }

     return uuid;

}

[Guest]

Well, i was hoping for some help but i did come up with a ROUGH solution that works in my case

private function get_String():String
 {
      var uuid:String;
      var _file:File   = getCommonFile();
      var fs:FileStream  = new FileStream(); 
      try
      {
            if(_file.exists)
            {
                  fs.open(_file, FileMode.READ);
                  fs.position = 0;
                  uuid = fs.readUTF();
                  fs.close();
            }
            else
            {
                  fs.open(_file, FileMode.WRITE);
                  uuid = UIDUtil.createUID();
                  fs.writeUTF(uuid);
                  fs.close();
            }
      }
      catch(err:Error)
      {
              Alert.show(err); 
      }
 
      return uuid;
 }

 
 /*
   * This is what i came up with, one could easily adjust this script to cover their specific Manufacture / OS 

   *
   */
 
 private function getCommonFile():File
{
      var _file:File;
      switch(Capabilities.manufacturer)
      {
            case "Adobe Windows":
            {
                  switch(Capabilities.os)
                  {
                        case "Windows 7":
                        {
                              /* Works */
                              _file = new File("C:\\ProgramData\\MyApp\\File.txt");
                              break;
                        }
                        case "Windows Vista":
                        {
                              /* Not Tested */
                              _file = new File("C:\\ProgramData\\MyApp\\File.txt");
                              break;
                        }
                        case "Windows XP":
                        {
                              /* Works but required Admin Rights to Create File */
                              _file = new File("C:\\Documents and Settings\\All Users\\MyApp\\File.txt");
                              break;
                        }
                        default:
                        {
                              /* If using a Server OS or other Microsoft Product Default to a User Store */
                              _file = File.applicationStorageDirectory.resolvePath('File.txt');
                              break;
                        }
                  }
                  break;
            }
            case "Adobe Macintosh":
            {
                  /* Tested on OSX 10.7.5 - Works */
                  _file = new File("/Applications/MyApp/File.txt");
                  break;
            }
            default:
            {
                  /* Catch any other Manufacture and default to a User Store*/
                  _file = File.applicationStorageDirectory.resolvePath('File.txt');
                  break;
            }
      }
      /* Return the File */
      return _file;
}

[Guest]

I made major improvements to the code above

It can be found @ http://code.google.com/p/adobe-air-filex/

Please feel free to check it out, I uploaded a sample air app, complied .swc and the source code