How can I use JScript to create a shortcut that uses “Run as Administrator”

Question

I have a JScript script that runs using cscript.exe. It creates a shortcut on the desktop (and in the start menu) that runs cscript.exe with parame

Answer 1

The official way to mark a shortcut file as requiring elevation is via IShellLinkDataList. It's difficult to use that interface from an automation environment.

But, if you are happy with a hack, you can do it in script, just by flipping a bit in the .lnk file.

When you tick the "run as administrator" box in the Advanced tab of the Shell Properties box, or when you use IShellLinkDataList to set the flags to include SLDF_RUNAS_USER, you're basically just setting one bit in the file.

You can do that "manually" without going through the COM interface. It's byte 21, and you need to set the 0x20 bit on.

(function(globalScope) {
    'use strict';
    var fso = new ActiveXObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject"),
        path = "c:\\path\\goes\\here\\Shortcut2.lnk",
        shortPath = path.split('\\').pop(),
        newPath = "new-" + shortPath;

    function readAllBytes(path) {
        var ts = fso.OpenTextFile(path, 1), a = [];
        while (!ts.AtEndOfStream)
            a.push(ts.Read(1).charCodeAt(0));
        ts.Close();
        return a;
    }

    function writeBytes(path, data) {
        var ts = fso.CreateTextFile(path, true),
            i=0, L = data.length;
        for (; i<L; i++) {
            ts.Write(String.fromCharCode(data[i]));
        }
        ts.Close();
    }

    function makeLnkRunAs(path, newPath) {
        var a = readAllBytes(path);
        a[0x15] |= 0x20; // flip the bit. 
        writeBytes(newPath, a);
    }

    makeLnkRunAs(path, newPath);

}(this));

ps:

function createShortcut(targetFolder, sourceFolder){
    var shell = new ActiveXObject("WScript.Shell"),
        shortcut = shell.CreateShortcut(targetFolder + "\\Run The Script.lnk"),
        fso = new ActiveXObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject"),
        windir = fso.GetSpecialFolder(specialFolders.windowsFolder);

    shortcut.TargetPath = fso.BuildPath(windir,"system32\\cscript.exe");
    shortcut.Arguments = "\"" + sourceFolder + "\\script.js\" /aParam /orTwo";
    shortcut.IconLocation = sourceFolder + "\\icon.ico";
    shortcut.Save();
}