Forums Feature Suggestions Protecting Scripts

I know it's a petty point that a lot of people have probably already brought up... But...

It would be great if there was a function to encrypt your scripts so that other people couldn't rip them. (Another way I suppose would be to be able to export it to a plugin, in c++ or whatever, which can then be included in the options dialog, or somewhere else if need be).

this has been discussed time and time again and shot down every single time... please do a search on the forum for similar threads.

you can already write a dll in c++ and access that from your script to obscure coding, so you can already do that.

I understand what you're saying by making your scripts unripable and all, but let me present a new approach to you.

I think, that if you see people ripping your scripts, you should be happy.
Anyone who has bits of code ripped from their script, should be happy, it signifies that the script is useful, and people like the way it's coded.

By ripping, people are actually praising you and your script.
They like the way you code.

Enjoy it.

In addition, most people don't really like everything about a script. Preventing users who have the knowledge to improve it to fit their needs from doing so doesn't help anyone.

I agree, people should be able to customize the script they're using to their own needs.

Many times I get people coming to me "hey can you fix this, I'm using script blah v2.0, I need this code" etc.

The reason I ask this is because I am writing a staff client for the admin (and sysops and guides) of a chat server and I really don't want to write 3 different versions as I have them automatically updating themselves from a url (yay me). The admin doesn't want ppl playing with their clients' code too much.

I have managed to do things like this in popups:


But I know that some of the staff are nosey buggers and will want to play with some of the commands that the admin doesn't want them to have access to.

P.S. Am sorry for bringing it up again, didn't think to search for this topic (after years of browsing forums... ).

Just use the computer's multi-user environment and put different scripts into each user's settings so that the users login to the computer and only have access to their own scripts.

You've missed the point there dude... It's going to be 1 script handed out to ppl all over the world. I don't have access to their userdata directories and also, I don't want to have to write 3 scripts.

I've half-solved the problem by putting a script checking feature in that will reset their script to the latest update it they modify it but all they've got to do is find the script checking commands and comment them.

I accept that this feature will probably not make it into a release of mIRC. Therefore, can anyone direct me to somewhere that will allow me to load a dll or something that will be able to read from an encrypted file (and also something that will allow me to edit an encrypted file).

You would have to put your "hidden" code into a DLL itself. Even so, mIRC would still have to have the scripted code in it (visible) that will let it read the DLL and anyone with the slightest knowledge of scripting will be able to figure out how to get what they want out of the DLL by just changing the calling code in the visible script.

If you want commands in a script that you don't want anyone to know about unless they have some kind of level, you're not really going to manage that in a mIRC environment. mIRC is and always will be open scripting and there isn't really a good way to prevent anyone with a little knowledge of scripting to figure out whatever you do and change it. Either make different scripts that you only share with those who should have them, or else don't include commands/controls that are "secret" or whatever.