Binary file creation

[smartin]

I've been going through several tutorials on different methods of File Access, Text, Random, Binary, etc. I'm wanting to save the users passwords in a file that someone can't easily view. I've also seen several different methods on encryption. My first thought was that binary mode was a way to actually create, read and write to a binary file, not easily viewed in a text editor. But it seems just to be the method by which the data is writtrn and retrieved, it still being an actual text file.

Is there a way to create a file that cannot be edited or viewed easily, and the data encrypted, or do I use the Text, Random, or Binary method and encrypt and decrypt the passwords.

Any thoughts on this would be greatly appreciated.

[Doc Scheinder]

You need to create an interface that will encrypt and decrypt your data. The trick is writing a function that prevents that file from being opened without using the interface. Your interface should store the encrypted data not just the text.

[oetje]

This is a function for some simple encryption/decryption.

Function Crypt(Data As String) As String
    Dim oneByte As String ' a swap variable
    Dim Output As String  ' the output

    For i = 1 To Len(Data) 'loop trough all the bytes
        oneByte = Right(Left(Data, i), 1) ' get a byte
        oneByte = Chr((Int(Asc(oneByte)) Xor 152)) ' encrypt the byte
        Output = Output & oneByte ' add it to the output
    Next
    
    Crypt = Output ' return the encrypted or decrypted data
End Function

This is one function that handles encryption and decryption. If you will give it a string, it will return it encrypted. If you give it an encrypted string, it will return it decrypted.

[Edited by oetje on 10-03-2000 at 03:33 PM]

[KillemAll]

I mean if it didn't have to be extremely complex or secure you could just make up an algorithm for the characters of the password. All numbers and letters fall between ascii values of 48 - 57, 65 - 90 or 97 - 122 so you could just perform some math on each character to change its value to an unreadable one that only you knew how to calculate. i.e.

Option Explicit
Dim ePassword As String
Dim dPassword As String
Private Sub cmdDecrypt_Click()
    Dim iCount As Integer
    dPassword = ""
    For iCount = 1 To Len(ePassword)
        dPassword = dPassword & Chr((Asc(Mid(ePassword, iCount, 1)) + (Len(ePassword) + (iCount * 2))) / 2)
    Next
    MsgBox dPassword, vbOKOnly, "Decrypted Password"
End Sub

Private Sub cmdEncrypt_Click()
    Dim iCount As Integer
    ePassword = ""
    For iCount = 1 To Len(txtInput.Text)
        ePassword = ePassword & Chr((Asc(Mid(txtInput.Text, iCount, 1)) * 2) - (Len(txtInput.Text) + (iCount * 2)))
    Next
    txtInput.Text = ""
    MsgBox ePassword, vbOKOnly, "Encrypted Password"
End Sub

Try that out. It would convert the password to an unreadable ascii value that you could store in a file and then recalculate to compare. You may want to be a little more creative and alter the length though.

Hope that helps,
KillemAll


Just saw oetje's post