Proposal: Method Based Administrator elevation (MSIX Package)

[ghostidentity]

Hello,

I’m packaging my app using MSIX, but the Package.appxmanifest does not support trustInfo for setting rules with elevated permissions. Consequently, it’s not possible to prompt the user to allow the process to run with administrative privileges.

Even if I add the code below, it will be ignored because MSIX operates with restrictions.

  <Capabilities>
    <rescap:Capability Name="runFullTrust" />
    <rescap:Capability Name="allowElevation" />
  </Capabilities>

Since this feature is not yet implemented, I’d like to propose an idea that would allow developers to define methods that require administrative privileges and then declare them in the manifest file. If such a method is invoked, it would prompt the user to grant the process administrative privileges without needing to restart the app. The prompt UI would not use a generic UAC message but rather a customized prompt that includes details to inform the user about the processes that require administrative privileges.

propose configuration on package.appxmanifest

<trustInfo xmlns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:asm.v3">
<security>
    <requestedPrivileges>
        <requestedExecutionLevel level="requireAdministrator" uiAccess="false"/>
        <!-- Proposed syntax for defining methods requiring elevation -->
        <elevatedMethods>
            <method name="MethodName1" description="This method performs system-level operations that require administrative access." path="Path.To.MethodName1" />
            <method name="MethodName2" description="This method modifies system files and settings, thus requiring elevated privileges." path="Path.To.MethodName2" />
            <!-- Additional methods as needed -->
        </elevatedMethods>
    </requestedPrivileges>
</security>
</trustInfo>

When the user opens the app, he/she wont be immediately prompted for this kind of message, but rather a custom UI prompt that will only be invoked once the user invoke some methods that will require admin priviledge as defined on the manifest file.

Once the process successfully executed the method that will require admin priviledge, it will return back to standard priviledge.

Thank you,
Mark