secure_string - MethodScript

== secure_string ==

Constructs a secure_string from a given char array or string.

=== Vital Info === {| style="width: 40%;" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="1" border="1" class="wikitable" |- ! scope="col" width="20%" | ! scope="col" width="80%" | |- ! scope="row" | Name | secure_string |- ! scope="row" | Returns | secure_string |- ! scope="row" | Usages | charArray

|- ! scope="row" | Optimizations | None |}

A secure_string is a string which cannot normally be toString'd, and whose underlying representation is encrypted in memory. This should be used for storing passwords or other sensitive data which should in no cases be stored in plain text. Since this extends string, it can generally be used in place of a string, and when done so, cannot accidentally be exposed (via logs or exception messages, or other accidental exposure) unless it is specifically instructed to decrypt and switch to a char array. While this cannot by itself ensure security of the value, it can help prevent most accidental exposures of data by intermediate code. When exported as a string (or imported as a string) other code must be written to ensure safety of those systems. It is recommended that a secure value never be stored as a string, however, this method accepts a string for compatibility reasons.

=== Usages ===

secure_string(charArray)

secure_string(string)

=== Examples === ====Example 1==== Demonstrates secure value Given the following code:

msg(secure_string("test"));
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1   {{function|msg}}({{function|secure_string}}("test"));

The output would be:

**secure string**

====Example 2==== Demonstrates common usage Given the following code:

secure_string @secure = secure_string(array('p','a','s','s'));
msg(@secure); // Won't print the actual password to screen
msg(decrypt_secure_string(@secure)); // Prints the actual password (as a char array)
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1   {{object|secure_string}} @secure = {{function|secure_string}}({{function|array}}('p','a','s','s'));
2   {{function|msg}}(@secure); // Won't print the actual password to screen
3   
4   {{function|msg}}({{function|decrypt_secure_string}}(@secure)); // Prints the actual password (as a char array)

The output would be:

**secure string**
{p, a, s, s}

====Example 3==== Demonstrates compatibility with other functions Given the following code:

@profile = array(
	user: 'username',
	password: secure_string('password')
);
msg(@profile);
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1   @profile = {{function|array}}(
2     user: 'username',
3     password: {{function|secure_string}}('password')
4   );
5   {{function|msg}}(@profile);

The output would be:

{password: **secure string**, user: username}

====Example 4==== Demonstrates compatibility with string class Given the following code:

string @sec = secure_string('password'); // Not an error, because secure_string extends string
msg(decrypt_secure_string(@sec));
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1   {{object|string}} @sec = {{function|secure_string}}('password'); // Not an error, because secure_string extends string
2   
3   {{function|msg}}({{function|decrypt_secure_string}}(@sec));

The output would be:

{p, a, s, s, w, o, r, d}

===See Also=== [[API/functions/decrypt_secure_string.html|decrypt_secure_string]]

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