Per folder umask level??

Question

Hi, I was wondering if it is possible to set the NSUmask level or something similar on a per folder basis??
I have a fairly restrictive set of permissions on my system, but would like to make the Sites folder default to 755 or 754 or something. Is it possible to get this much granularity?
I'm using a client version of OS X10.4.6 if it matters.

Answer 1

Tsunami,
Any new files or folders you create will be created with the permissions set by your umask, and you will only have one umask. If you have changed it to be more restrictive than the "default" umask in OS X ("002," making any new files/folders readable by everyone but only writeable by you), then the more restrictive permissions is what you will always get.
However, the "granularity" of permissions is limitless. The only problem is that you might have to set them manually. This need not be that much trouble, though, as long as you are willing to use Terminal to change them. In this case, I recommend that you not use "absolute" modes ("755," 644," etc.), but instead learn to use "symbolic" modes ("g+r," a+rX," etc.).
You see, any files in your directory structure should never be executable, unless they are meant to be executed (a CGI script would be one example of this, but otherwise web files should not be executable by anyone). You want to be able to make changes recursively, and using absolute modes doesn't fit the bill, here.
Let's assume that you want to make your web folder and its contents viewable by everyone, and at the same time you want to make sure no one other than yourself has write permission. Also, we will assume that all of your files and directories are in place, and that they are all in your HOME web directory (not the main directory in /Library/WebServer). The command to use would be:
<pre style="overflow:auto; font-family: 'Monaco'; font-size: 10px">chmod -R arX,g-w,o-w,uw ~/Sites</pre>
This command is easily modifiable to operate on the "main" web directory, and you could simply make a text clipping of it, keeping the clipping in an easily accessible location. If and when you change the contents of the web directory, you could just open Terminal, drag in the text clipping, then press <RETURN>. Make note of the fact that I used an upper-case "X" to recursively add execute permission. Using the upper-case "X" in a symbolic mode change operates only on directories and files that already have the execute bit set for someone. This is one important reason to use symbolic modes when making recursive changes.
As I say, it need not be any problem. Of course, another solution would be to return to the default umask present in OS X. There are absolutely no security concerns leaving this umask in place, as long as permissions for the folders inside your HOME folder remain at OS X defaults.
Scott