The routine relies on the repeatability of random numbers, so seeding 
with -4 provides for predicable decoding when passing the string back 
through the same routine. It falls apart when a truly random number is 
generated for the encode and decode sequences preventing the decoding from 
working.  The reason it *appears* to work if you use your suggestion just 
for this demo is that the Timer function seeds the number to the time of the 
machine, and as the code executes very quickly both the encoding and 
decoding are happening at the same Timer time.  If you try this modification 
to the Command1_Click routine to introduce a delay when your 
suggested -(Timer) is used instead of -4, you'll see the results are not as 
you'd expect. Restoring to -4 (or any other fixed number for that matter) 
will work...

Private Declare Sub Sleep Lib "kernel32" (ByVal dwMilliseconds As Long)

Private Sub Command1_Click()

   Me.AutoRedraw = True

   Dim sEncodedEmail As String

   Print
   Print Command1.Caption

   sEncodedEmail = ConvertData(sDummyEmail)
   Print "encoded", sEncodedEmail
   Refresh
   Call Sleep(1000)  'wait 1 second before decoding
   Print "decoded", ConvertData(sEncodedEmail)

End Sub




-- 

Randy Birch
MVP Visual Basic
http://vbnet.mvps.org/
Please respond only to the newsgroups so all can benefit.


"Woof-Woof"  wrote in message 
news:k6jEc.17415$6r1.14171{at}fed1read06...
: Having read your article "Simple Algorithms to Obfuscate a String" at
: http://vbnet.mvps.org/index.html?code/algorithms/obfuscatedstring.htm
: I wondered what would happen if I replaced Rnd -4 in the ConvertData
: sub-routine with Rnd -(Timer).
:
: If I didn't miss something it appears that you get a different
: encrypted e-mail address every time you do the encryption because the
: Rnd value is always changing. Seems like that has a very beneficial
: use in keeping people from decrypting it "more easily", since the
: encrypted string is different each time a person clicks on the button.
: Might make someone scratch their head, eh?
:
:
: -- 
:
:
: ---
: Allen
:
:
: "Randy Birch"  wrote in message
: news:32KBc.15620$biD.1571{at}news04.bloor.is.net.cable.rogers.com...
: > Define "can not be viewed".  Any file can be opened in a text editor
: ...
: > whether or not the contents mean anything is a result of the data in
: the
: > file and possible some sort of encryption applied.  If you want to
: prevent
: > casual reading of the file -- you can't prevent editing and possibly
: > rendering the file useless -- perhaps this might do what you want...
: > http://vbnet.mvps.org/code/algorithms/rot39.htm
: >
: > -- 
: >
: > Randy Birch
: > MVP Visual Basic
: > http://vbnet.mvps.org/
: > Please respond only to the newsgroups so all can benefit.
: >
: >
: > "Blueyonder"  wrote in message
: > news:EWDBc.125002$B63.111165{at}doctor.cableinet.net...
: > : Hi All
: > :
: > : Does anybody know how to write to a file so that the contents
: cannot be
: > : viewed by a text editor?
: > :
: > :
: >
:
:
---
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