Shoutbox

Encrypted log files versus Search in all logs feature - Printable Version

-Shoutbox (https://shoutbox.menthix.net)
+-- Forum: MsgHelp Archive (/forumdisplay.php?fid=58)
+--- Forum: Messenger Plus! for Live Messenger (/forumdisplay.php?fid=4)
+---- Forum: WLM Plus! General (/forumdisplay.php?fid=23)
+----- Thread: Encrypted log files versus Search in all logs feature (/showthread.php?tid=80566)

Encrypted log files versus Search in all logs feature by ahmetgns on 12-31-2007 at 01:18 PM

There is one thing wrong with Search in all logs feature and encrypted log files. Because when it tells us there was some encrypted log files and we must enter a password to decrypt them, we enter a password but Messenger Plus! doesn't check the correctness of the password. So people always think they entered the correct password even if not. So there must be an improvement about this issue. Let me explain the solution in my head:

I believe that when we press on "Search" button, it firstly searches for files and when it finds some files with .ple extension, it requires us to enter a password for them. But it doesn't (and can't) check all the files about the correctness of the password before starting search. So my solution is, at the end of the search, it will pop-up a new window and ask us like that:

[Image: attachment.php?pid=879012]

... unsuccessful, this window will appear again. :)

Is this good?


RE: Encrypted log files versus Search in all logs feature by Volv on 12-31-2007 at 01:48 PM

I'm not sure this problem can be fixed, some logs may have one password whilst some others (belonging to other users, or older logs perhaps) may have another password. If you had a whole bunch of "Password Required" dialogs popping up (with no explanation of which password is currently being asked for) it would surely cause confusion.

It seems to me like it's just a limitation of the current system.
The only option you could have is a popup saying that "No logs with the entered password were located, perhaps you have entered the password incorrectly."


RE: Encrypted log files versus Search in all logs feature by ahmetgns on 12-31-2007 at 04:05 PM

I see your concerns Volv. But I don't think this cannot be fixed. You said

quote:
Originally posted by Volv
some logs may have one password whilst some others (belonging to other users, or older logs perhaps) may have another password.
yes, this is the exact cause of this problem :P
quote:
Originally posted by Volv
If you had a whole bunch of "Password Required" dialogs popping up (with no explanation of which password is currently being asked for) it would surely cause confusion.
If a bunch of popping up dialogs are necessary, then there must be, nothing is wrong with it. Also, if user found the file which he was looking for then he can just press Ignore button on that dialog window and search will be ended at that moment. But if user couldn't find the file which he was looking for and if he is sure there must be, then providing options to help him find that file is not bad and I don't think it will cause any confusion as long as an understandable dialog is written. Note also that, the decrypted files will not be tried to decrypt again and again, only the remaining ones which couldn't be decrypted will be tried to decrypt with new passwords provided at the end of the searches.
RE: Encrypted log files versus Search in all logs feature by CookieRevised on 12-31-2007 at 04:44 PM

What is this doing in Bug reports? This is not a bug at all....
A bug is when something doesn't work like it was intended to work.
This isn't the case here...

---

So if multiple logs with different passwords are present the user will always get many popups. I agree with Volv as I think your solution is not acceptable at all and indeed very confusing and even very annoying, especially if some of those logs don't belong to you (and thus you don't know the pwd).

The only thing which may be needed is instead of entering one password in the beginning, you enter multiple passwords, that's it, nothing more.

PS: as for now, there isn't any problem if the user uses only one password. If he didn't, he can either repeat the search and enter a different password each time, or he can simply re-encrypt all his logs using one password (Why would a user use many different passwords anyways? That's only asking for troubles).


RE: Encrypted log files versus Search in all logs feature by ahmetgns on 12-31-2007 at 06:33 PM

I posted this in bug reports because the intention about this feature to work is wrong :P . Also I considered posting this in General Talk at first but I thought people will think this discussion would be in Bug Reports and will search here when they found this problem.

Also think about you mistyped the password and pressed OK, you will never know the ple files were not searched actually so you will think there is no match for your search, isn't this bad? Normaly I expect Plus! to warn me if the password couldn't decrypt the files.

quote:
Originally posted by CookieRevised
The only thing which may be needed is instead of entering one password in the beginning, you enter multiple passwords, that's it, nothing more.
The same thing for this, what if you mistyped all or some of the passwords, you are not able to know that with this current system.
quote:
Originally posted by CookieRevised
as for now, there isn't any problem if the user uses only one password. If he didn't, he can either repeat the search and enter a different password each time,
Of course user must use only one password but sometimes we may have to change our password (for instance when it is learned by others) and changing all old files' password is hard or may be just forgotten (I know we must change it if it is learned by others :)). Also repeating the search may take a lot more time instead filtering decypted files out before continuing searching with new passwords ;)
RE: Encrypted log files versus Search in all logs feature by CookieRevised on 01-01-2008 at 01:21 AM

quote:
Originally posted by ahmetgns
I posted this in bug reports because the intention about this feature to work is wrong :P
No, nothing is wrong. This is NOT a bug, it is intended to work the way it works. There is a big difference between a bug and a limitation.

RE: Encrypted log files versus Search in all logs feature by Volv on 01-01-2008 at 02:19 PM

quote:
Originally posted by ahmetgns
Also think about you mistyped the password and pressed OK, you will never know the ple files were not searched actually so you will think there is no match for your search, isn't this bad? Normaly I expect Plus! to warn me if the password couldn't decrypt the files.
Solution:
quote:
Originally posted by Volv
It seems to me like it's just a limitation of the current system.
The only option you could have is a popup saying that "No logs with the entered password were located, perhaps you have entered the password incorrectly."
^ It's the only understandable, least annoying, and hence valid option available.

PS: Stop bickering, the location of the thread isn't that important.
RE: Encrypted log files versus Search in all logs feature by Mnjul on 01-01-2008 at 07:07 PM

I conceive that people don't usually have multiple passwords since if they do set a new password, chances are they forget the old password and either 1. they can't recall the old password anymore 2. they re-encrypt old chatlogs with new password. Either case, they won't be entering old passwords when searching.

I agree multiple popups are quite annoying and if there is really a need to have the user enter multiple passwords, the better way should be increasing the number (which is not fixed and can grow dynamically) of textboxes for passwords in the popup window when the search is to begin.


RE: Encrypted log files versus Search in all logs feature by ahmetgns on 01-06-2008 at 11:56 AM

I want to learn one thing. While searching in all logs, if we press on Ignore button when it prompts us to enter a password for encrypted files, does the search function skip the .ple files or does it search them without decrypting at all?

Continue reading if you are calm and fine. Because even me have difficulties understanding what I mean in these paragraphs :)Also I want to mention one thing about my suggestion. You said multiple popups were quite annoying and now I agree with you (volv's suggestion would be cool really). However for each new search, it asks the password again. If you press on Ignore button for the second and later searches without typing the password again, it can decrypt the files again with the password in memory which remains from the first search. Then why does it ask it again? I think this is the actual annoying thing.

When one password is input while the Log Viewer is open, then all the files which are encrypted with that password can be decrypted without entering the password again unless you need and enter another password for a new encrypted file which has been encrypted with another password, I mean Log Viewer can always remember one password at its memory. Even when you opened an encrypted file in the log viewer, and then when you want to search in all logs, even if you press on Ignore button when it prompts, it can still decrypt the encrypted files with the password in memory. But the reverse mechanism doesn't work. When you searched in all logs and entered a password to search in all logs, after the search is finished, when you click on a result file, it asks the password again. Why? If you didn't know the password, you couldn't search in that file and find that file anyway. Please consider these improvements for next version.

Edit: Also search function cannot find some words or word sequences which are formatted with a gradient effect.


RE: Encrypted log files versus Search in all logs feature by Patchou on 01-13-2008 at 04:55 PM

I'll probably add an option to be able to enter multiple passwords in the first popup. I don't verify the password because you are free to enter the one that matches any of your files and some people like that :)