XECryption encryption and decryption script

Question

The encryption script:

import random
splitArray = []

def takeInput():

    rawText = raw_input("Type something to be encrypted: \n")
    password = raw_input("Please type a numerical password: \n")
    encrypt(rawText, int(password))

def encrypt(rawText, password):
    for c in rawText:
        divide(c, password)


def divide(charToDivide, password):
    asciiValue = ord(charToDivide)
    a = 0
    b = 0
    c = 0
    passa = 0
    passb = 0
    passc = 0
    a = random.randrange(a, asciiValue)
    b = random.randrange(b, asciiValue - a)
    c = asciiValue - (a+b)
    passa = random.randrange(passa, password)
    passb = random.randrange(passb, password-passa)
    passc = password - (passa+passb)
    if isinstance(password, str):   
        print "Please enter a number"
        takeInput()
    else:
        a += passa  
        b += passb
        c += passc      
    splitArray.append(str(a))
    splitArray.append(str(b))
    splitArray.append(str(c))

takeInput()
f = open("myEncryptorTest", 'w')
arrayDelimiterString = "."
encryptedString = arrayDelimiterString.join(splitArray)
encryptedString = "." + encryptedString
f.write(encryptedString)
f.close

Decryption:

#XECryption decryption program

#Each character is a set of three numbers delimited by dots

#Decryption works by adding these three numbers together, subtracting the ASCII for a space and using that number to decypher 
#the rest of the array.

#User is prompted to see if the message makes sense

f = open('myEncryptorTest')
encryptedString = f.read()
f.close()

#separate sets of three numbers into an array
def sort():
    sortedCharArray = []
    charBuffer = "" 
    for c in encryptedString:
        if c == '.' and charBuffer != "":
            sortedCharArray.append(charBuffer)
            charBuffer = ""
        elif c != '.':
            charBuffer += c
    #if the buffer is not empty (e.g. last number), put it on the end
    if charBuffer != "":
        sortedCharArray.append(charBuffer)
        charBuffer = ""
    crack(sortedCharArray)

#add sets of three numbers together and insert into an array decryption
def crack(charArray):
    charBuffer = 0
    arrayCount = 1
    decypheredArray = []
    for c in charArray:
        if arrayCount % 3 == 0:
            arrayCount = arrayCount + 1
            charBuffer = charBuffer + int(c)
            decypheredArray.append(charBuffer)
            charBuffer = 0
        else:
            arrayCount = arrayCount + 1
            charBuffer = charBuffer + int(c)
    decypher(decypheredArray)

#subtract ASCII value of a space, use this subtracted value as a temporary password
def decypher(decypheredArray):
    space = 32
    subtractedValue = 0
    arrayBuffer = []
    try:
        for c in decypheredArray:
            subtractedValue = c - space
            for c in decypheredArray:
                asciicharacter = c - subtractedValue
                arrayBuffer.append(asciicharacter)
            answerFromCheck = check(arrayBuffer)
            if answerFromCheck == "y":
                #print value of password if user states correct decryption
                print "Password: "
                print subtractedValue   
                raise StopIteration()
            else:
                arrayBuffer = []
    except StopIteration:
        pass

#does the temporary password above produce an output that makes sense?
def check(arrayBuffer):
    decypheredText = ""
    stringArray = []
    try:
        for c in arrayBuffer:
            try:
                stringArray.append(chr(c))
            except ValueError:
                pass    
        print decypheredText.join(stringArray)
        inputAnswer = raw_input("Is this correct?")
        if inputAnswer == "y":
            return inputAnswer
        else:
            stringArray = []
            return inputAnswer
    except StopIteration:
        return 
sort()
f.close()

As I say, I'm looking for advice on how to improve my code and writing code in general. I'm aware that my code is probably an affront against programmers everywhere but I want to improve. These two scripts are for the hackthissite.org Realistic 6 mission. I won't be using them for encrypting anything of great importance.

Answer 1

import random
splitArray = []

It is best not to store data in global variables. Instead, you should have functions take all the input they need and return the result

def takeInput():

    rawText = raw_input("Type something to be encrypted: \n")

The python style guide recommends lowercase_with_underscores for local variable names

    password = raw_input("Please type a numerical password: \n")
    encrypt(rawText, int(password))

If the user enters something not a number, you'll get an exception. Its best to catch the exception and ask the user to try again

def encrypt(rawText, password):
    for c in rawText:
        divide(c, password)
        print c     

Why are you printing c? If its just debug output you should remove when you've finished debugging.

def divide(charToDivide, password):
    asciiValue = ord(charToDivide)
    a = 0
    b = 0
    c = 0

Consider storing these as a tuple

    passa = 0
    passb = 0
    passc = 0

And here as well

    a = random.randrange(a, asciiValue)

Ok, why did you assign zero to a earlier rather then just putting 0 as the argument here

    b = random.randrange(b, asciiValue - a)

Same here

    c = asciiValue - (a+b)
    passa = random.randrange(passa, password)
    passb = random.randrange(passb, password-passa)
    passc = password - (passa+passb)

And again here, the earlier assignments seemed to have no purpose. Additionally, the same logic was applied to both asciiValue and password. Make a function that produces the a,b,c from the input and call it for each of those values instead.

    if isinstance(password, str):   
        print "Please enter a number"
        takeInput()

Given your code how could password possibly be a string? If it were you would have already gotten an exception. You also shouldn't really mix function that perform logic and ones that take input. else: a += passa
b += passb c += passc
splitArray.append(str(a)) splitArray.append(str(b)) splitArray.append(str(c))

If you take my advice and put a,b,c in a tuple, then you could done this in one line.

takeInput()
f = open("myEncryptorTest", 'w')
arrayDelimiterString = "."
encryptedString = arrayDelimiterString.join(splitArray)

There isn't a whole lot of point in assigning a variable in one line and then using it only on the next.

encryptedString = "." + encryptedString

Instead of that:

encryptedString = ''.join('.' + data for data in splitArray)


f.write(encryptedString)
f.close

You are missing the (), so the file won't actually be closed.

#XECryption decryption program

#Each character is a set of three numbers delimited by dots

#Decryption works by adding these three numbers together, subtracting the ASCII for a space and using that number to decypher 
#the rest of the array.

#User is prompted to see if the message makes sense

Python has a feature called docstrings. If the first thing in a module or function is a string, it it considered the documentation for that object. You would do something like

"""
XEcryption decryption program

yada yada yada
"""

Rather then all those comments

f = open('myEncryptorTest')

I recommend against single-letter variable names

encryptedString = f.read()
f.close()


#separate sets of three numbers into an array

This comment should be a docstring in the function like I described. Also, the function doesn't do anything with sets of three numbers.

def sort():
    sortedCharArray = []
    charBuffer = "" 
    for c in encryptedString:
        if c == '.' and charBuffer != "":
            sortedCharArray.append(charBuffer)
            charBuffer = ""
        elif c != '.':
            charBuffer += c
    #if the buffer is not empty (e.g. last number), put it on the end
    if charBuffer != "":
        sortedCharArray.append(charBuffer)
        charBuffer = ""

This entire function can be replaced by sortedCharArray = encryptedString.split('.') Also, the function doesn't do any sorting.

    crack(sortedCharArray)

#add sets of three numbers together and insert into an array decryption
def crack(charArray):
    charBuffer = 0
    arrayCount = 1
    decypheredArray = []
    for c in charArray:
        if arrayCount % 3 == 0:

Don't iterate over what you have, iterate over what you want. Do something like:

    for index in xrange(0, len(charArray), 3):
        triplet = charArray[index:index+3]

That way triplet will have the three elements and you can operate on those without having to keep track of charBuffer or arrayCount

            arrayCount = arrayCount + 1
            charBuffer = charBuffer + int(c)
            decypheredArray.append(charBuffer)
            charBuffer = 0
        else:
            arrayCount = arrayCount + 1
            charBuffer = charBuffer + int(c)
    decypher(decypheredArray)

Rather then calling the next function in a chain like this. I suggest that you return at the end of each function and then have a master function pass that onto the next function. That way the master function will have a list of all of the steps in the algorithm. But bonus points for actually splitting it up into multiple functions

#subtract ASCII value of a space, use this subtracted value as a temporary password
def decypher(decypheredArray):
    space = 32

Why don't you use space = ord(' ')

    subtractedValue = 0
    arrayBuffer = []
    try:
        for c in decypheredArray:
            subtractedValue = c - space
            for c in decypheredArray:

Careful! your inner loop has the same variable as the outer loop asciicharacter = c - subtractedValue arrayBuffer.append(asciicharacter) answerFromCheck = check(arrayBuffer) if answerFromCheck == "y":

Use the python values True and False, not strings.

                #print value of password if user states correct decryption
                print "Password: "
                print subtractedValue   
                raise StopIteration()

Use break or return. You almost never need to raise StopIteration else: arrayBuffer = []

Rather then clearing the arrayBuffer here, create a new arrayBuffer except StopIteration: pass See this is problematic because something else could raise a StopIteration and you might accidently catch it.

#does the temporary password above produce an output that makes sense?
def check(arrayBuffer):
    decypheredText = ""
    stringArray = []
    try:
        for c in arrayBuffer:
            try:
                stringArray.append(chr(c))
            except ValueError:
                pass

If you get a ValueError, its because the character in question wasn't ascii. Shouldn't you just assume that the password was incorrect in that case?

Try stringArray = map(chr, arrayBuffer) instead of that loop.

        print decypheredText.join(stringArray)
        inputAnswer = raw_input("Is this correct?")

You are mixing input and logic. I recommend reworking your code so they are seperate.

        if inputAnswer == "y":
            return inputAnswer
        else:
            stringArray = []

This has no effect outside this function, why are you doing it?

            return inputAnswer
    except StopIteration:
        return 
sort()
f.close()