Encrypted ESPL Files

Prior

The ESPL language has the ability to encrypt ESPL programming files.  This allows ESPL developers to sell or distribute their programs without revealing the source code and proprietary formulas to their customers.  System developers who market their ESPL programs with a monthly subscription can include expiration dates in their programs (which cause the programs to cease working on a specified shut-off date).  An encrypted file cannot be edited or viewed, and the programming code cannot be altered by the end-user.

How it Works

ESPL programming files are normally saved with a file extension of  .SPT.  The  .SPT  files are text files that can be viewed and edited in the ESPL Editor window.  Encrypted ESPL files are saved with a file extension of  .LIB, and cannot be loaded into the ESPL Editor.  An ESPL program cannot be run unless there is an  .SPT  file loaded into the ESPL Editor.  The ability to include encrypted code in a program is accomplished by using the  $Include  statement (see the documentation for the  $Include  statement for more details).  For example, assume that there is an encrypted ESPL file named  MYCODE.LIB, and a normal ESPL program file named  SYSTEM.SPT (shown below).  The encrypted ESPL code in the  MYCODE.LIB  file can be inserted into the  SYSTEM.SPT program by using the  $Include  statement.

{$Include MYCODE} 
begin   
  if ESPL=0 then RunMySystem; 
end;

The  SYSTEM.SPT  program is only 4 lines long.  However, all of the programming code in the  MYCODE.LIB  file is internally inserted at the  $Include  line location when the program is RUN.  The  SYSTEM.SPT  file is just a starter program that is used to run the system.  All of the important programming code is contained in the  MYCODE.LIB  file.  The programming code for the   'RunMySystem'  procedure (called in the code above) is located in the  MYCODE.LIB  file.  All of the encrypted code is used as if it were present in the  SYSTEM.SPT  program.  The only difference is that the end-user of the system never sees the programming code in the  MYCODE.LIB  file and cannot load or edit that programming code.  Note:  The  MYCODE.LIB  file must be located in the same folder, on the hard disk, as the  SYSTEM.SPT  file (usually the \ENSIGN\ESPL  folder).

How to Create an Encrypted File

To create an encrypted  .LIB  file you must first start with a normal  .SPT  file (that is not encrypted).  Write all of your programming code in one file and save the completed program as an  .SPT  file (example:  PROFIT1.SPT).  Test your program and make sure that it runs properly.  If there is a large section of code that you want to encrypt, then CUT and PASTE that code into a new  .SPT  file and save the file with a different name (example: PROFIT2.SPT).  Then save the new file again, by selecting  ESPL | Save As  from the menu.  Save the file as  PROFIT2.LIB.  There will now be a  PROFIT1.SPT file, a PROFIT2.SPT file, and a PROFIT2.LIB file.  The  PROFIT2.LIB  file will be an exact copy of the  PROFIT2.SPT  file, except it has been encrypted.  Next, insert an  $Include  statement in the  PROFIT1.SPT  file at the location where the code was CUT out.  Example:

{$Include PROFIT2}

When the  PROFIT1.SPT  file is loaded and run, all of the encrypted code from the PROFIT2.LIB  file will be inserted at the location on the  $Include  statement (as if that code were still present in the PROFIT1.SPT  file).

A system developer could then distribute the  PROFIT1.SPT  file and the  PROFIT2.LIB  file to his customers.  The developer would keep the  PROFIT2.SPT  file private, and would only use it to make changes or additions to the system.  If new changes and additions were made to the system, then the developer would need to distribute an updated copy of the  PROFIT2.LIB to his customers.  The developer would instruct his customers to save the  PROFIT1.SPT  and  PROFIT2.LIB  files to the  \ENSIGN\ESPL folder, and then load the  PROFIT1.SPT  file into the ESPL Editor window to run the system.

Updating Encrypted Files

Each  .LIB  file has a companion  .SPT  file.  In the example above, the  PROFIT2.SPT file and the  PROFIT2.LIB  file are companion files that contain the same contents.  The only difference is that the  PROFIT2.SPT  file is a text file, and the  PROFIT2.LIB file is an encrypted duplication of the  PROFIT2.SPT  file.  After a  .LIB  file has been created, then any changes to the  .SPT  file will automatically be saved in the  .LIB  file.  This allows the system developer to load the  PROFIT2.SPT  file into the ESPL Editor and make some changes.  When the changes are saved in the  PROFIT2.SPT
file, then the changes are automatically updated, encrypted, and saved in the companion PROFIT2.LIB  file.  In summary, whenever changes are made to an  .SPT  file, the changes will also be made in its companion  .LIB  file (if the  .LIB  file exists).

The  .LIB  files cannot be edited directly.  This means that you cannot load a  .LIB  file into the ESPL Editor window for editing.  In order to update a  .LIB  file, you must load its companion  .SPT  source file into the ESPL Editor window and then save the changes.  When the changes are saved in the  .SPT  file, the  .LIB  file will also get updated and saved with the latest changes.

ESPL allows system developers to place their proprietary code in encrypted files.  Encrypted  .LIB  files are not stand-alone executable files, and must be included into an  .SPT  ESPL program file by using the  $Include  statement.  The  $Include  statement inserts the programming code contained in the  .LIB  file at the exact location of the  $Include  statement.  Some typical uses for  .LIB  files include the following:

- Hide proprietary formulas, studies, and technical analysis
- Prevent modification of and tampering with original work
- Hide the details of security authorization
- Prevent security mechanisms from being removed
- Include expiration dates in the file to cause a program to stop working

Example

The following two programming code segments illustrate how to use the  .LIB  file concept.  The first program segment contains programming code to draw
a line on a chart, connecting all the HIGH prices on a chart with a white line.  This code is then saved in a file named  LINE.SPT  (a file named  LINE.LIB  is also created and saved with the encrypted version of the code).  The second program segment is the master ESPL program which calls the  LINE.LIB  statements by using the  $Include  statement.  This code is then saved in a file named   HIGHLINE.SPT.  The  HIGHLINE.SPT  file and the  LINE.LIB  file could be distributed to paying customers.  The files should be saved in the  \ENSIGN\ESPL  folder.  To run the program on an active chart window, the end-user would click ESPL RUN button  51  (ESPL=51).

{******LINE.SPT*************         Also save this code in the LINE.LIB file}

procedure DrawLine;
var
  i:integer;
begin
  SetUser(eWindow,eChart);           {Plot on the chart}
  SetUser(eClose,True);              {Update Line at Bar Completion}
  SetUser(ePlot1,True);
  SetUser(eShow1,True);
  for i:= 1 to BarEnd do
  begin
   SetUser(1,High(i),I,clWhite,7);   {Connect all High Prices with White Dotted Line}
  end;
end;

 

{*******HIGHLINE.SPT**********       Save this code in the HIGHLINE.SPT file}
 
{$Include LINE.LIB}
begin
  if ESPL=51 then DrawLine;
end;

Note:   The customers would only be able to see the 4 programming lines in the  HIGHLINE.SPT  file.  The programming code in the  LINE.LIB  file would be out-of-sight and encrypted.

Developer Suggestion

When developing ESPL code that will eventually be broken-out and saved in a  .LIB  file, try to write the complete program in one master program first.  Make sure that the whole program is debugged and working fine as one program.  Then CUT and PASTE the section of code that is to be encrypted into a separate file and save it as a  .LIB  file.  Then insert an  $Include  statement at the point that the code was cut out of the original program.

Using a Shut-Off Date 

The following sample code shows how to use a shut-off date in an encrypted file. When the shut-off date is reached, the program will no longer work.  The starter file is named  SYSTEM.SPT.   The Encrypted programming code is saved in the  HIDDEN.SPT and  HIDDEN.LIB  files.  The program would be run on a chart by clicking the  ESPL RUN 51 button.

{***************HIDDEN.SPT*************** also saved in the  HIDDEN.LIB  file}
 
var
  ShutOffDate: string;

procedure DrawMyLines;
begin
  {enter code to draw custom study lines on a chart here}
end;
 
procedure RunSystem;
begin
  ShutOffDate := '12-31-02' ;     {Enter a Shut-Off Date}
 
  if StringToDate(DateStr) < StringToDate(ShutOffDate) then
  begin
    if ESPL = 51 then DrawMyLines;
  end
  else
  begin
    writeln('Contact System Developer at 800-111-2222 to Renew your Subscription');
    writeln('Todays Date:  ',LongToDate(StringToDate(DateStr)));
    writeln('Expire Date:  ',LongToDate(StringtoDate(ShutOffDate)));
  end;
end;
 
 
{***************SYSTEM.SPT***************}
 
{$INCLUDE HIDDEN}
begin
  RunSystem;
end;

Prior