How do you ..... a password?

[bigzilla]

I guess the Subject says it all. I want to set up a password in my solution but do not want it to come out in plain text. If the password is Billyboy I would want it to look to like ........ on the screen. How-do-you-do-dat?

 

Thanks,

 

Bill

[Ron K]

The password that is part of FM7 is hidden with "*". Why not use that password? Or if you want a password somewhere in the solution, create a custom diaglog. Call a field "Password" and ask for user entry into that field but check the box "Use Password Character (*)" . When your user types into that field, it will only show the number of characters typed as "*"'s.

Ron

[MrEase]

You can also use a bullet font in whichever field you'd like:

http://www.fmpro.org/news/222860930930/

[bigzilla]

Hi guys and thanks for your reply,

 

I did download the bullet font from fmpro.org and it's great Henk. Do I understand correctly that the correct password is entered in letters and/or numbers, but it shows up as bullets?

 

I don't understand Ron's post, "check the box "Use Password Character (*)" Where do you go to do that?

 

Thanks for your help,

 

Bill

[Ron K]

Bill, try this. Create a field called "Password". Now create a script. Scroll down on the controls to "Show Custom Dialog". In the message write "Enter your password". Now click the tab "Input fields" and select your field Password. Now check the box underneath that says "Use Password Character". Run the script and you'll see that you've created a way to enter data into that field named password but the user will only see asterisks when entering his/her password. Remember, this is only if you don't want to use the already embedded password that comes with filemaker 7.

 

Ron

[bigzilla]

Hi Ron,

 

The script works great. The problem is that although the password shows as asterisks when I type it into the gPassword field on the dialog box. After I click OK, it enters the password as plain text on the gPassword filed on my layout. What did I do wrong?

 

Bill

[FileMakin' Tom]

Don't put that field on your layout or change the type of the field to the same color as the background.

[harryglos]

Greetings there Bill,

 

As always, FileMaker has more than “one way to skin a cat”. First, you can include the Bulletz buttons into your font file and choose it as the font for your gPassword field.

 

RE: “Do I understand correctly that the correct password is entered into letters and/or numbers, but it shows up as bullets?”

 

The answer is yes, it does exactly that!

 

If you like Ron’s idea of a dialog box coming up you can do that too along with what I said above. Again, have the Bulletz buttons as your font on the field on your layout and when you click the OK button in the dialog box “botta-bing-batta-boom! The number of Bulletz will correspond with amount of letters/numbers typed into the dialog box. If you’re going to do it this way, make the gPassword field a button that calls the script as there is no longer a reason to directly enter the field.

 

So you pick it, it’s a matter of personal choice.

 

BTW... I realize in this politically correct world we live in, the expression “one way to skin a cat” may be considered inappropriate. And as everyone here on the forum knows, I am Never Inappropriate! As a matter of fact I have a good friend who’s a veterinarian. No FileMaken‘Tom, not a vegetarian, a veterinarian! Man you and Chopper with your food, what's that about! Anyway, he’s a real good doctor, even on humans . "If you don’t mind having a physical on all fours”! I know, I know another politically incorrect issue, right? Tough room!

 

Harry

[bigzilla]

Thanks guys,

 

Harry, that's just what I wanted to do. I'm going to do the Bulletz and Script combination. I think I like that best! Oh, I think I'll stick with my current doctor as well!

 

Bill

[comment]

[ QUOTE ]

The number of Bulletz will correspond with amount of letters/numbers typed into the dialog box.

 

[/ QUOTE ]

 

Seems like a lot of work to install a font just for that.

 

Left ( "**************" ; Length ( gPassword ) )

will do the same. And it is secure even if entry to the field is allowed.

 

 

Not that displaying the true length of the password is a good idea at all, security-wise.

[bigzilla]

Hi Comment,

 

How exactly do you implement that?

 

Bill

[comment]

How do I implement what? The display of asterisks in the same length as the password? You make a calculation field, with the formula above.

 

But I really can't see why you would need such a thing. If I understand correctly, the user will enter a password into a global field. This is done in a custom dialog box, so Filemaker takes care of the bullets for you. The user presses Enter, and the script resumes.

 

Now you need to verify the gPassword against the real password. The real password is stored in a field that is not visible on ANY layout that the user has access to. The script checks if gPassword matches the user's password (or is one of valid passwords). If not, let them have another try. If yes, let them in. In both cases set gPassword to "" first.

 

From this point on, I don't see any reason to display the password, or the gPassword field - bullets or no bullets. The only additional thing you might need is a button "Change your password". This will call another custom dialog box, with three global fields (you can make gPassword a repeating field and re-use it for this as well). One for the old password, one for the new one, and one for "retype your new password". Again all the checking and field setting is done by the script, and no actual password is ever visible.

[Ron K]

If you hide a password with a font, be sure that font is loaded on every machine that might use the file. If there is a user that doesn't have that font loaded, the password will show up in the default font of the operating system.

Ron

[bigzilla]

Hi Guys,

 

We need this password to log into our email and print server and it requires a unique password from the one giving you access to the database. You guys have really helped and I appreciate all of your help.

 

BTW, I have another post called "How to close solution by Button only?" If you guys could help me with that as well I'd really be in "tall cotton".

 

Thanks everybody,

 

Bill

[Felix Kortrijk]

One other thing to remember about the bullet font:

 

if you install the application on a computer without the font (maybe it was removed by the user!)then you will see the password in plain text as the OS will render text for missing fonts in a default font like arial.

[Vaughan]

So if we're going to obscure the password text with bullets, then further obscure the text by displaying a different number of bullets... then why bother display the password on the layout in the first place?

 

It'd be more secure if it wasn't displayed anywhere, and a heck of a lot less work too.

 

Or am I missing something vitally important here?