[comp.windows.x] Password input using Motif widget

hsu@locus.com (Mike S. C. Hsu) (11/06/90)

Does anybody has the experience or ideas of using motif widgets to implement
a text input window in non-echo mode?   My intention is to build a login
dialog window using motif. The non-echo mode is necessary when user type
in their password.  I tryed using motif Text widget with foreground equal
to background; it does disappear the text but with the unwanted side effect
of disappearing the text cursor too. Any suggestion?

Also, does anybody knows if the Motif 1.1 would support non-echo mode in
their Text widget? It'd be very disappointing if it doesn't because the OSF
claims that the Motif 1.1 will be suite for real world applications.

Thanks in advance!

--Mike

grp@Unify.com (Greg Pasquariello) (11/07/90)

In article <19148@oolong.la.locus.com>, hsu@locus.com (Mike S. C. Hsu) writes:
 
> Does anybody has the experience or ideas of using motif widgets to implement
> a text input window in non-echo mode?   My intention is to build a login
> dialog window using motif. The non-echo mode is necessary when user type
> in their password.  I tryed using motif Text widget with foreground equal
> to background; it does disappear the text but with the unwanted side effect
> of disappearing the text cursor too. Any suggestion?
> 

The problem with setting foreground and background to the same color
(other than making the cursor disappear), is that cutting the "invisible"
text and then pasting it into a "visible" text field, will make it 
show up.  It is therefor possible to easily read typed passwords.  A
better method is to use the modifyVerifyCallback to catch the keystrokes
and maintain the typed password yourself, without echoing it to the
text field.

Note that it is still possible to catch keystrokes by waiting for events
on the window, even from another application.  Your password, therefor, is
only as secure as your server/client connection.

> Also, does anybody knows if the Motif 1.1 would support non-echo mode in
> their Text widget? It'd be very disappointing if it doesn't because the OSF
> claims that the Motif 1.1 will be suite for real world applications.
> 
> Thanks in advance!
> 
> --Mike

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Greg Pasquariello	
Unify Corporation 	grp@Unify.Com