Create symlink without admin mode

[kiwichick]

Is there any way to create a symlink without having XY run as administrator?

[Horst]

No, that's a Windows restriction..
Unfortunately, XY doesn't just ask using a UAC prompt for this operation
which would be a big improvement.

[admin]

Will be possible with multi-threading.

[kiwichick]

Will be possible with multi-threading.

Thanks, Don, that's good to know. Is that something that will be available with XYplorerTB?

[kiwichick]

No, that's a Windows restriction..
Unfortunately, XY doesn't just ask using a UAC prompt for this operation
which would be a big improvement.

Thanks, I realised that when I tried to create a symlink using command prompt and found it had to be run as administrator. So, is it possible to use XY to create a script that can run the command prompt as administrator and execute mklink code?

[admin]

Will be possible with multi-threading.

Thanks, Don, that's good to know. Is that something that will be available with XYplorerTB?

Yes, not immediately but it's planned.

[noembryo]

Is there any way to create a symlink without having XY run as administrator?

Without knowing any context on this question, one answer might be: "By using the Link Shell Extension"

[kiwichick]

Without knowing any context on this question

I don't know what 'context' you want but XY scripting can create a symlink. However, XY has to be in run as administrator in order to do it. I just wanted to know if there was any way to do it without XY as admin.

[highend]

Write out a .bat script (and run it afterwards) that self-elevates and executes the mklink command?

Code: Select all

    $batFile    = "%TEMP%\~xyplorer_mklink.bat";
    $batContent = <<<>>>
@ECHO OFF
REG QUERY "HKU\S-1-5-19" >NUL 2>NUL && GOTO :ENDUAC
SET "vbsFile=%TEMP%\~getAdmin.vbs"
IF "%1" NEQ "" (FOR /F "tokens=*" %%I IN ('ECHO %*') DO SET "param=%%~I")

ECHO Set UAC = CreateObject^("Shell.Application"^)> "%vbsFile%"
ECHO UAC.ShellExecute "cmd", "/c """"%~s0"" ""%param%""""", "", "runas", ^1>> "%vbsFile%"
CSCRIPT "%vbsFile%" //Nologo
IF EXIST "%vbsFile%" DEL /Q "%vbsFile%" >NUL 2>NUL
EXIT /B
:ENDUAC
    >>>;

    $batContent .= <crlf 2> . "your mklink stuff here...";

    writefile($batFile, $batContent, , "utf8");
    run $batFile, "%TEMP%", 0, 1;

[noembryo]

Without knowing any context on this question

I don't know what 'context' you want but XY scripting can create a symlink. However, XY has to be in run as administrator in order to do it. I just wanted to know if there was any way to do it without XY as admin.

This is exactly the context I needed.
Do you want to create a symlink, or you want to create a symlink by scripting?
My answer was for the former (it's the way I create symlinks in XYplorer without having administrator rights), but unfortunately you wanted an answer for the latter..

[kiwichick]

This is exactly the context I needed.
Do you want to create a symlink, or you want to create a symlink by scripting?
My answer was for the former (it's the way I create symlinks in XYplorer without having administrator rights), but unfortunately you wanted an answer for the latter..

Yes it was for the latter. My apologies for not being clear about that.

[kiwichick]

Write out a .bat script (and run it afterwards) that self-elevates and executes the mklink command?

Code: Select all

    $batFile    = "%TEMP%\~xyplorer_mklink.bat";
    $batContent = <<<>>>
@ECHO OFF
REG QUERY "HKU\S-1-5-19" >NUL 2>NUL && GOTO :ENDUAC
SET "vbsFile=%TEMP%\~getAdmin.vbs"
IF "%1" NEQ "" (FOR /F "tokens=*" %%I IN ('ECHO %*') DO SET "param=%%~I")

ECHO Set UAC = CreateObject^("Shell.Application"^)> "%vbsFile%"
ECHO UAC.ShellExecute "cmd", "/c """"%~s0"" ""%param%""""", "", "runas", ^1>> "%vbsFile%"
CSCRIPT "%vbsFile%" //Nologo
IF EXIST "%vbsFile%" DEL /Q "%vbsFile%" >NUL 2>NUL
EXIT /B
:ENDUAC
    >>>;

    $batContent .= <crlf 2> . "your mklink stuff here...";

    writefile($batFile, $batContent, , "utf8");
    run $batFile, "%TEMP%", 0, 1;

Thanks

[WirlyWirly]

Write out a .bat script (and run it afterwards) that self-elevates and executes the mklink command?
...

Thanks @highend, you saved me a lot of head scratching as I'm getting into symlinks

For anyone interested, I took highend's script and adjusted it slightly so that it will generate a symlink for every currently selected item. There's enough logic to differentiate between file/folder and format mklink appropriately.

Code: Select all

// Generate symlinks for each File/Folder currently selected.
// Elevates cmd to admin

$outputPrefix = 'link-';

// ================================ CODE ================================

    $batFile    = "<xydata>\Temp\symlinkGenerator.bat";

    $batContents = <<<STRING
@ECHO OFF
REG QUERY "HKU\S-1-5-19" >NUL 2>NUL && GOTO :ENDUAC
SET "vbsFile=<xydata>\Temp\~getAdmin.vbs"
IF "%1" NEQ "" (FOR /F "tokens=*" %%I IN ('ECHO %*') DO SET "param=%%~I")

ECHO Set UAC = CreateObject^("Shell.Application"^)> "%vbsFile%"
ECHO UAC.ShellExecute "cmd", "/c """"%~s0"" ""%param%""""", "", "runas", ^1>> "%vbsFile%"
CSCRIPT "%vbsFile%" //Nologo
IF EXIST "%vbsFile%" DEL /Q "%vbsFile%" >NUL 2>NUL
EXIT /B
:ENDUAC
STRING;

    foreach($item, <selitems :::>, ':::') {
        // Format 'mklink' depending on $item type (file|folder)
        $itemDirectory = getpathcomponent($item, 'path');
        $itemFilename = getpathcomponent($item, 'name');

        if (exists($item) == '1') {
            // $item is file
            $command = lax(mklink "$itemDirectory\$outputPrefix$itemFilename" "$item");
            $batContents .= <crlf> . $command;
        } elseif (exists($item) == '2') {
            // $item is folder
            $command = lax(mklink /D "$itemDirectory\$outputPrefix$itemFilename" "$item");
            $batContents .= <crlf> . $command;
        }
    }

    writefile($batFile, $batContents, , "utf8");
    run($batFile, , 0, 0);

[kiwichick]

I took highend's script and adjusted it slightly so that it will generate a symlink for every currently selected item. There's enough logic to differentiate between file/folder and format mklink appropriately.

Code: Select all

// Generate symlinks for each File/Folder currently selected.
// Elevates cmd to admin

$outputPrefix = 'link-';

// ================================ CODE ================================

    $batFile    = "<xydata>\Temp\symlinkGenerator.bat";

    $batContents = <<<STRING
@ECHO OFF
REG QUERY "HKU\S-1-5-19" >NUL 2>NUL && GOTO :ENDUAC
SET "vbsFile=<xydata>\Temp\~getAdmin.vbs"
IF "%1" NEQ "" (FOR /F "tokens=*" %%I IN ('ECHO %*') DO SET "param=%%~I")

ECHO Set UAC = CreateObject^("Shell.Application"^)> "%vbsFile%"
ECHO UAC.ShellExecute "cmd", "/c """"%~s0"" ""%param%""""", "", "runas", ^1>> "%vbsFile%"
CSCRIPT "%vbsFile%" //Nologo
IF EXIST "%vbsFile%" DEL /Q "%vbsFile%" >NUL 2>NUL
EXIT /B
:ENDUAC
STRING;

    foreach($item, <selitems :::>, ':::') {
        // Format 'mklink' depending on $item type (file|folder)
        $itemDirectory = getpathcomponent($item, 'path');
        $itemFilename = getpathcomponent($item, 'name');

        if (exists($item) == '1') {
            // $item is file
            $command = lax(mklink "$itemDirectory\$outputPrefix$itemFilename" "$item");
            $batContents .= <crlf> . $command;
        } elseif (exists($item) == '2') {
            // $item is folder
            $command = lax(mklink /D "$itemDirectory\$outputPrefix$itemFilename" "$item");
            $batContents .= <crlf> . $command;
        }
    }

    writefile($batFile, $batContents, , "utf8");
    run($batFile, , 0, 0);

Thanks for that but am I missing something? Do I need to do anything other than select a folder and run the script? I tried that and the symlink wasn't created. The bat file created by the script seems to have the correct information.

[jupe]

If you wanted you could achieve this with a one liner, with no temp files. eg.

Code: Select all

e|open """<xy>"" /fresh /win=min /script=|::". report('new("link-{Name}", "symlink", "{Fullname}"); ', 1) ."exit n;| ""<curpath>""", e;

As the script is currently it is just for using in normal folders or non-recursive search results, you'd need to modify it if you wanted it to work in multi hierarchy search results.