xref: /frameworks/base/docs/html/guide/topics/manifest/permission-element.jd

page.title=<permission>
parent.title=The AndroidManifest.xml File
parent.link=manifest-intro.html
@jd:body

<dl class="xml">
<dt>syntax:</dt></dt>
<dd><pre class="stx">&lt;permission android:<a href="#desc">description</a>="<i>string resource</i>"
            android:<a href="#icon">icon</a>="<i>drawable resource</i>"
            android:<a href="#label">label</a>="<i>string resource</i>"
            android:<a href="#nm">name</a>="<i>string</i>"
            android:<a href="#pgroup">permissionGroup</a>="<i>string</i>"
            android:<a href="#plevel">protectionLevel</a>=["normal" | "dangerous" | 
                                     "signature" | "signatureOrSystem"] /&gt;</pre></dd>

<dt>contained in:</dt>
<dd><code><a href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/manifest/manifest-element.html">&lt;manifest&gt;</a></code></dd>

<dt>description:</dt>
<dd itemprop="description">Declares a security permission that can be used to limit access
to specific components or features of this or other applications.  
See the <a href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/manifest/manifest-intro.html#perms">Permissions</a>
section in the introduction,
and the <a href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/security/security.html">Security and Permissions</a> 
document for more information on how permissions work.</dd>

<dt>attributes:</dt>
<dd><dl class="attr">
<dt><a name="desc"></a>{@code android:description}</dt>
<dd>A user-readable description of the permission, longer and more 
informative than the label.  It may be displayed to explain the 
permission to the user &mdash; for example, when the user is asked 
whether to grant the permission to another application.

<p>
This attribute must be set as a reference to a string resource; 
unlike the {@code label} attribute, it cannot be a raw string.
</p></dd>

<dt><a name="icon"></a>{@code android:icon}</dt>
<dd>A reference to a drawable resource for an icon that represents the 
permission.</dd>

<dt><a name="label"></a>{@code android:label}</dt>
<dd>A name for the permission, one that can be displayed to users. 

<p>
As a convenience, the label can be directly set 
as a raw string while you're developing the application.  However, 
when the application is ready to be published, it should be set as a 
reference to a string resource, so that it can be localized like other 
strings in the user interface.
</p></dd>

<dt><a name="nm"></a>{@code android:name}</dt>
<dd>The name of the permission.  This is the name that will be used in 
code to refer to the permission &mdash; for example, in a 
<code><a href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/manifest/uses-permission-element.html">&lt;uses-permission&gt;</a></code> element and the
{@code permission} attributes of application components.

<p>
The name must be unique, so it should use Java-style scoping &mdash; 
for example, "{@code com.example.project.PERMITTED_ACTION}".
</p></dd>

<dt><a name="pgroup"></a>{@code android:permissionGroup}</dt>
<dd>Assigns this permission to a group.  The value of this attribute is 
the name of the group, which must be declared with the 
<code><a href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/manifest/permission-group-element.html">&lt;permission-group&gt;</a></code> element in this 
or another application.  If this attribute is not set, the permission
does not belong to a group.</dd>

<dt><a name="plevel"></a>{@code android:protectionLevel}</dt>
<dd>Characterizes the potential risk implied in the permission and
indicates the procedure the system should follow when determining
whether or not to grant the permission to an application requesting it. 
The value can be set to one of the following strings:

<table>
<tr>
   <th>Value</th>
   <th>Meaning</th>
</tr><tr>
   <td>"{@code normal}"</td>
   <td>The default value.  A lower-risk permission that gives requesting 
       applications access to isolated application-level features, with 
       minimal risk to other applications, the system, or the user.  
       The system automatically grants this type
       of permission to a requesting application at installation, without
       asking for the user's explicit approval (though the user always
       has the option to review these permissions before installing).
</tr><tr>
   <td>"{@code dangerous}"</td>
   <td>A higher-risk permission that would give a requesting application
       access to private user data or control over the device that can
       negatively impact the user.  Because this type of permission
       introduces potential risk, the system may not automatically
       grant it to the requesting application.  For example, any dangerous
       permissions requested by an application may be displayed to the
       user and require confirmation before proceeding, or some other
       approach may be taken to avoid the user automatically allowing
       the use of such facilities.
</tr><tr>
   <td>"{@code signature}"</td>
   <td>A permission that the system grants only if the requesting
       application is signed with the same certificate as the application
       that declared the permission. If the certificates match, the system
       automatically grants the permission without notifying the user or
       asking for the user's explicit approval.
</tr><tr>
   <td>"{@code signatureOrSystem}"</td>
   <td>A permission that the system grants only to applications that are 
       in the Android system image <em>or</em> that are signed with the same
       certificate as the application that declared the permission. Please avoid using this 
       option, as the {@code signature} protection level should be sufficient 
       for most needs and works regardless of exactly where applications are 
       installed.  The "{@code signatureOrSystem}"
       permission is used for certain special situations where multiple
       vendors have applications built into a system image and need
       to share specific features explicitly because they are being built
       together.
</tr>
</table>
</dd>
</dl></dd>

<!-- ##api level indication## -->
<dt>introduced in:</dt>
<dd>API Level 1</dd>

<dt>see also:</dt>
<dd><code><a href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/manifest/uses-permission-element.html">&lt;uses-permission&gt;</a></code>
<br/><code><a href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/manifest/permission-tree-element.html">&lt;permission-tree&gt;</a></code>
<br/><code><a href="{@docRoot}guide/topics/manifest/permission-group-element.html">&lt;permission-group&gt;</a></code></dd>
</dd>

</dl>