MiscRegistration.rtf

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MiscRegistration

Inherits From: Object

Declared In: <misckit/MiscRegistration.h>

Class Description

This object handles the user interface for a simple registration scheme. It brings up a modal panel to handle registrations and handles keeping track of the license key entered by the user. Any object in the application may query the MiscRegistration object to see if the application is correctly registered by sending a �registered message. The programmer should override the �keyOK method to insert a license key checking algorithm into the object; the default implementation is to accept any registration key given to the MiscRegistration object.

The license keys entered by users are stored in two places. First, an attempt is made to store the key in the file �key� inside the app wrapper. This will probably only work for the user installing the application, possibly only for root on a network installation. Second, the key is stored in the user's defaults database. This allows the key to be remembered even if the key file cannot be written. Also, if the user updates the application and in the process deletes an old key file, this allows a new key file to be automatically generated for the application the next time the user runs the application. (They have to run the application after installation for this to happen, though.)

To create a proper interface for this object, you should create a panel with two TextFields in it, one for the user to type in the registration key (the regNumText instance variable) and the other an uneditable field where the serial number of the application may be displayed (connected to the regText instance variable). The registerPanel instance variable should be connected to the panel itself. The panel should have two buttons, one to abort the registration process (tied to the � cancelRegistration: method) and another, with a return arrow, to complete the registration (tied to the �registerApp: method). That is all you need to do, and the MiscKit comples complete with a pre-connected panel in the Register.nib sample interface.

The logic behind this object is to provide a simple framework for a rudimentary registration scheme, but to allow the developer to implement the actual encoding in their own unique way. This saves the time required to implement the interface, but does not compromise the security of the registration keys or the exportability of this object from the USA.

Several of the strings used in the Registration... Panel user interface are stored in an NXStringTable. If an NXStringTable is not connected up in the �Register.nib� file, then the controller's string table is used instead. (The controller is a MiscInfoController which is using this MiscRegistration instance.) The table is expected to contain the following keys:

NotRegistered � �Not registered.� This is the license key written to the key file of a non-registered app.
Unreg � �This Copy Is Unregistered� to be placed in the serial number text fields of an unregistered application, in white letters.
Reg � �Copy #%s is registered� to be placed in the serial number text fields; the serial number is inserted wherever you place the �%s�. This text appears in dark gray.
OK � �OK� for alert panel buttons.
CantReg � Text for an alert panel saying that the registration key entered could not be saved to a file inside the app wrapper. (You may wish to note that the key is still saved in the user's default database, so this is only a problem for multi-user installations.)
BadRegNum � Text for an alert panel saying that the registration key entered was invalid.

An appropriate .nib file will be named Register.nib and have a MiscRegister object as the file's owner. Look at the example .nib file in the MiscKit examples for a sample .nib file.

Instance Variables

id strings;
id controller;
id registerPanel;
id regText;
id regNumText;

strings NXStringTable with the strings used in the Registration... panel interface.

controller The MiscInfoController which is using this object for handling registrations.

registerPanel The Register... panel where the user types in a registration number/key.

regText The TextField in the Register... panel showing the current registered serial number, if applicable.

regNumText The TextField in the Register... panel where the user types the actual registration number/key.

Method Types

Initialization - init
+ initialize
- setController:

Target/Action Methods - cancelRegistration:
- registerApp:
- registration:

Obtaining and Displaying Serial Numbers - fillRegistrationText:
- serialNumber

Handling Registration Keys - keyOK
- readKey
- readKeyFromFile
- registerPanel
- registered
- registrationKey
- writeKey
- writeKeyToFile

Class Methods

initialize
+ initialize

Initialize the MiscRegistration class. This sets up a defaults vector for the default registration key, in case a registration key doesn't actually exist yet for the application. Returns self.

Instance Methods

cancelRegistration:
- cancelRegistration:sender

Cancels the modal session for the Registration... panel and removes it from the screen. Returns self.

See also: �registerApp: and �registration:

fillRegistrationText:
- fillRegistrationText:textField

Fills in the text in textField with the serial number of the application. If the application is registered, the text's color will be dark gray. If the application is not registered yet, the text will be white. Returns self.

init
- init

Initializes this instance of the MiscRegistration class and reads in the registration key, checking both the �key� file and the user's defaults database. Returns self.

keyOK
- (BOOL)keyOK

This method should be overridden to analyze the registration key and return either a YES (if the key is valid) or a NO (if the key is not valid). If the key contains a serial number encoded in it (and it should), you should then set the recognized serial number by setting the string value of the _serialNum instance variable (a MiscString instance). The license key entered by the user should be obtained with the � registrationKey method. If you wish to determine if the application is properly registered, you should call the �registered method and not �keyOK. The �keyOK method is meant only to be overridden by the programmer, not called.

See also: �registered and �registrationKey

readKey
- readKey

Reads in the current registration key. If reading the key in from the file �key� inside the app wrapper fails, then the key is loaded from the user's defaults database, if it exists. Returns self.