This message was edited by morphios at 2004-8-20 9:10:57

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Hello Everyone

I am trying to write a function, which would encrypt a given string using a simple substitution cipher, but I am unsure how to go about it. I understand the concept of substitution (I could decrypt it in moments by hand, but writing code is something else) and have an array with the key e.g.:

function Encrypt(aString)
{
var cipherArray =
['s','c','h','n','i','t','z','e','l','m','o','p','q','r','u',
'v','w','x','y','a','b','d','f','g','j','k'];

// schnitzel is the key

I thought maybe I also needed another array to substitute the cipherArray with original characters such as:

var characterArray = 
['a','b','c','d','e','f','g','h','i','j','k','l','m','n','o',
'p','q','r','s','t','u','v','w','x','y','z'];

This is where I become stuckwhat to do next? How do I now get from user inputting string to encrypting the given string?

Does anyone know of any websites, which would help me go onto the next stage, or is anyone will to help (please).

Any help appreciated, Thanks

Morphios

: Hello Everyone
:
: I am trying to write a function, which would encrypt a given string using a simple substitution cipher, but I am unsure how to go about it. I understand the concept of substitution (I could decrypt it in moments by hand, but writing code is something else) and have an array with the key e.g.:
:
:

: function Encrypt(aString)
: {
: var cipherArray =
: ['s','c','h','n','i','t','z','e','l','m','o','p','q','r','u',
: 'v','w','x','y','a','b','d','f','g','j','k'];
: 
: // schnitzel is the key
: 

:
: I thought maybe I also needed another array to substitute the cipherArray with original characters such as:
:
:

: var characterArray = 
: ['a','b','c','d','e','f','g','h','i','j','k','l','m','n','o',
: 'p','q','r','s','t','u','v','w','x','y','z'];
: 

:
: This is where I become stuckwhat to do next? How do I now get from user inputting string to encrypting the given string?
:
: Does anyone know of any websites, which would help me go onto the next stage, or is anyone will to help (please).
:
: Any help appreciated, Thanks
:
: Morphios
:
Getting the user input is described here: http://developer.irt.org/script/162.htm
The encryption itself starts with an empty encryptedString. The encryptedString is filled using a for-loop (http://www.pageresource.com/jscript/jifelse.htm), in which you find the letter index in the characterArray, and then add the character with the same index from the cipherArray to it. Finding the character in the characterArray involves another loop. In pseudocode this should look something like this:

  var encryptedString = '';
  var charIndex = 0;
  for (i = loop over user-input string)
  {
    for (j = loop over characterArray)
    {
      if (user-input[i] == characterArray[j])
      {
        charIndex = j;
      }
    }
    encryptedString == encryptedString + cipherArray[charIndex];
  }

The decryption process is very similar. Remember that this is a very poor encryption and therefor shouldn't be used for any serious encryption applications.

The decryption process is very similar. Remember that this is a very poor encryption and therefor shouldn't be used for any serious encryption applications.

zibadian, thank you for the links, I will take a look at them. Thanks for the fragment of code also, I think it is just the guide I have been looking for.

Thanks again. I may be back.

Hello Again Everyone

This is what I have so far (with help from zibadian). As I have mentioned before, I am trying to write something simple, that takes input from a user and using a simple substitution cipher encrypts the users input.

Can anyone see (because I have now lost my marbles) the problem, when I enter a string I cannot get an encrypted output. Im hoping its something fairly simple but knowing me Ive missed a whole chunk of something. I can get output but it keeps showing 'undefined'.

Can anyone help?

function doEncrypt()
{

var givenString,encodedString;
document.encipher.outputString.value = '';
givenString = document.encipher.inputString.value;
givenString = givenString.toLowerCase();// note that toLowerCase leaves non-alpha characters unchanged
encodedString = subEncrypt(givenString);
document.encipher.outputString.value = encodedString;
document.encipher.inputString.focus();// reset focus

}


function subEncrypt(aString)
{
var cipherArray =
['s','c','h','n','i','t','z','e','l','m','o','p','q','r','u',
'v','w','x','y','a','b','d','f','g','j','k'];  // schnitzel is the key


var characterArray = 
['a','b','c','d','e','f','g','h','i','j','k','l','m','n','o',
'p','q','r','s','t','u','v','w','x','y','z'];


var encryptedString = '';
var charIndex = 0;

for (var i = 0; i < aString.length; i++)
{
  for (var j = 0; j < characterArray.length; j++)
     {
         if (aString.length[i] == characterArray[j])
           {
               charIndex = j;
            }
      }
};
    encryptedString = encryptedString + cipherArray[charIndex]
}

Any help appreciated.

: Hello Again Everyone
:
: This is what I have so far (with help from zibadian). As I have mentioned before, I am trying to write something simple, that takes input from a user and using a simple substitution cipher encrypts the users input.
:
: Can anyone see (because I have now lost my marbles) the problem, when I enter a string I cannot get an encrypted output. Im hoping its something fairly simple but knowing me Ive missed a whole chunk of something. I can get output but it keeps showing 'undefined'.
:
: Can anyone help?
:
:

: function doEncrypt()
: {
: 
: var givenString,encodedString;
: document.encipher.outputString.value = '';
: givenString = document.encipher.inputString.value;
: givenString = givenString.toLowerCase();// note that toLowerCase leaves non-alpha characters unchanged
: encodedString = subEncrypt(givenString);
: document.encipher.outputString.value = encodedString;
: document.encipher.inputString.focus();// reset focus
: 
: }
: 
: 
: function subEncrypt(aString)
: {
: var cipherArray =
: ['s','c','h','n','i','t','z','e','l','m','o','p','q','r','u',
: 'v','w','x','y','a','b','d','f','g','j','k'];  // schnitzel is the key
: 
: 
: var characterArray = 
: ['a','b','c','d','e','f','g','h','i','j','k','l','m','n','o',
: 'p','q','r','s','t','u','v','w','x','y','z'];
: 
: 
: var encryptedString = '';
: var charIndex = 0;
: 
: for (var i = 0; i < aString.length; i++)
: {
:   for (var j = 0; j < characterArray.length; j++)
:      {
:          if (aString.length[i] == characterArray[j])
:            {
:                charIndex = j;
:             }
:       }
: };
:     encryptedString = encryptedString + cipherArray[charIndex]
: }
: 

:
: Any help appreciated.
:
:
All you need to add is the return statement to the subEncrypt() function. Currently it encode the string, but doesn't return the resulting value. The code for that is quite simple:

  return encryptedString;

Also there are several mistakes in the encryption routine. First, the statement

  encryptedString = encryptedString + cipherArray[charIndex]

must be inside the outer loop, otherwise it will only add the last character and not the rest.
Secondly, the line

         if (aString.length[i] == characterArray[j])

is invalid, since the length property is an integer and not an array. To get a single character from a string, you need to say:

         if (aString[i] == characterArray[j])

After you made thse changes and additions it should work.

Zibadian, thank you once again for taking the time to help me.

I have one last question (if you don't mind)

How do you stop it encrypting the spaces in a given string?

: Zibadian, thank you once again for taking the time to help me.
:
: I have one last question (if you don't mind)
:
: How do you stop it encrypting the spaces in a given string?
:
Add the space character to both the cipher array and the character array. If they share the same index, the space will not be encrypted.
An alternative is to set charIndex to -1 (indicating not found) before searching for the correct index. If the charIndex is still -1 after search, the character isn't listed, and you should copy the character from the plaintext string into the encrypted string. This is a more general way of handling other characters than letters.

Thank you very much for all the help.

Morphios

Thank you very much for all the help.
A bit premature here.

Okay Zibadian, I've been at this all day (got the bumps on my head to prove it) and still cannot get it this stupid code to stop encrypting the spaces.

Have you got a bigger clue, by any chance? PLEASE!!

: Thank you very much for all the help.
: A bit premature here.
:
: Okay Zibadian, I've been at this all day (got the bumps on my head to prove it) and still cannot get it this stupid code to stop encrypting the spaces.
:
: Have you got a bigger clue, by any chance? PLEASE!!
:
The code itself is pretty simple. Here is the encryption routine, which will only encrypt the characters in the array:

var encryptedString = '';
var charIndex = 0;

for (var i = 0; i < aString.length; i++)
{
  charIndex = -1; // Start out with a not-found value
  for (var j = 0; j < characterArray.length; j++)
     {
         if (aString[i] == characterArray[j])
           {
               charIndex = j;
            }
      }
  if (charIndex > -1) // Found a character in the characterArray
  {
     // Perform the encryption
     encryptedString = encryptedString + cipherArray[charIndex];
  } else {
     // Simply copy the character from the user input into the encrypted string
     encryptedString = encryptedString + aString[i];
  }
};
}

This message was edited by morphios at 2004-8-19 3:17:21

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Thank you very much for all the help.[/italic]

Its all working as it should now, I am eternally grateful to you.

Morphios