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Functional Operation

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Ken Manheimer edited this page Jun 30, 2014 · 5 revisions

This document describes user operation of Encryptr as of version 1.0.

Table of Contents

Application Entry

General conduct

At any time, if the device is unable to reach the server, the server connection retry process will kick in.

On platforms that with conventional application exit (non-iOS), hitting the device back button will either ascend to a top-level content-list activity or, if already there, exit.

Login view

(Here's a Login view screen image.) This is the initial view on fresh application start, and where the app returns on active session logout.

To login to an established account, enter "Username" and "Passphrase".

If you already have an account you can proceed to fill in your credentials. The passphrase will be obscured as you type it. When you're ready, tap the "Log in" button, at which point the UI will show three sequentially pulsing-dots (a "throbber") while it's busy generating the login artifacts from your credentials, and then requesting the login.

Account Registration view

(Here's an Account Registration screen image.) Reached via the "Register for a new account »" link on the Login view, use this view to establish a new account, by filling in the "Choose a Username" and "Choose a Passphrase" fields, then tapping "Register". (In contrast to the Login view behavior, the Passphrase will remain visible, so you can confirm the accuracy of your typing.)

(Instead, you can tap "Back to login »" to return to the Login view without registering a new account.)

  • If you fail to enter both a username and passphrase, you will be presented with a notification, and returned to the registration view when you tap Ok.
  • If an account with the chosen username already exists, a Signup error notification will be posted, indicating so. Tap "OK" to return to the registration view and try again.
If the registration succeeds, you will be logged in with the new account, leaving the app viewing an empty Content List view.

Server-connection retry routine

At any point, if the device is offline or the app is otherwise unable to reach the Encryptr server, the app will indicate so and systematically try to reconnect:

  • The indication will be the text "Your device isn't connected" in a red rectangle at the bottom of the screen
  • The red box will soon change to a yellow box, with a spinning half-circle on the right
  • And then a countdown in the yellow box, with the text "Connecting in #s" | "Reconnect" | and the spinner
  • The countdown will be longer on successive retries,
  • and continue until the connection succeeds or the app is exited.

(Logged-in) Session activities

Logged-in session Activities views share some common features, arranged within a black stripe across the top:

  • On the left, a session navigation button, which at any moment is either a vertical ellipsis or a leftwards-pointing "return" arrow
  • A title in the middle, which varies depending on the view context.
  • An area on the right for operation icons specific to the current view context.
If the app is suspended for more than a minute, due either to switching away from the app, or device sleep, then you will be required to log in, again, to return to their content. If you resume the app before a minute elapses then you can continue from where you were.

Content List view

Here is where you see the collection of records you've stored with Encryptr. You arrive in this view on login, and you return here from viewing or editing an item's details.

The menu bar for this view includes:

  • The session navigation button in the top left is a vertical ellipsis for session options. Tapping the ellipsis brings up a menu with:
  • The middle title is "Encryptr"
  • The right-hand side context-specific buttons includes a plus sign, by which you select a content type to add.
Your content is listed in the area below the black menu bar.

If there are no stored items, then the content area will be empty except for faded text indicating that there are not yet any entries.

If there are stored items, they will be listed, one per line, with the item name in regular type and the item type below it, in a smaller font. Successive items have a thin black dividing line between them. (Here's an example screen.)

If there are more items than fit in a single screen, you can drag the list to scroll and flick your finger to fling it.

Tap an item to see enter the Content Item Detail view, where you can see its details and have the option to edit or delete it.

Tap the '+' plus icon in the right of the menu-bar, to open a menu where you select an item type to add. See the Content Item Addition view for details on the content-adding process.

Content Item Detail view

Use this view to examine the specifics of a content item. You get here by tapping on a list entry in the Content List view.

The menu bar for this view includes:

  • The top-left session navigation button is a left-pointing "return" arrow, to return to the Content List view
  • The middle title is the item's label
  • The right-hand side context-specific buttons includes a trash can, to delete the current content item (according to ok'ing a confirmation dialog), and a pencil icon, to edit the current item in Content Item Edit view
The item is presented, starting with the label (which is required for all items), followed by the field name and then the field values, with the name in a smaller, gray-faded font. Neither the field names nor values of fields with empty values are included.

Long-pressing a content item field, except for the label, copies the field's value to the device clipboard. A transient notification will briefly appear, indicating that the copy has happened. This is a handy way to copy, eg, usernames and passwords for pasting into web and application login forms.

  • To edit the current item, tap the pencil icon in the menu-bar's right side.
  • To delete the item, tap the garbage can icon, next to the pencil.
  • To return to the Content List view, tap the leftward-pointing arrow in the menu-bar's left.

Content Item Addition view

This view is used to fill in and submit the fields of a new content item. You get here from Content List view by tapping on the '+' plus icon in the right of the menu-bar and selecting a content-type from the available choices:

Each of these types is a scheme, with particular fields that you can fill with your own values.

Here are the fields for each of the types:

  • Credit Card: Label, Type, Name on card, Card Number, CW, Expiry
  • General: Label, Text
  • Password: Label, Username, Password, Site URL
All of the field values, *except* for that of the label, are optional, and can be left empty. All of the field values can be single lines of any printable text.

In one case - the Password type's Password field - a sample value is randomly generated for you, as a convenience. The generation of the sample value is designed to be genuinely random, but not particularly engineered to be easy to remember. (The premise is that you can use Encryptr to remember it for you.) You can use that value, or replace it with one that you produce.

When you are in this view, in the menu-bar:

  • The left-side session navigation button is a leftward-pointing arrow, for canceling the addition and returning to the Content List view
  • The title is that of the content item's label
  • The menu-bar right side icon is a check-mark, to submit your addition.
You can also use the keyboard "Enter" or carriage return key in any field to submit the addition.

Submitting the new entry with an empty label will cause a brief, transient notification that says "The label is required.", and the app will remain in the addition view with the text that you've entered. You must either enter a label or abandon the new item to be done with it.

To cancel new-item addition, hit the leftward-pointing arrow in the left of the menu-bar.

Whether you successfully submit a new item or cancel the addition, the app will return to the Content List view with the new item included at the bottom of the list.

Content Item Edit view

Use this view to alter the fields of an existing item. You get here from Content Item Detail view by tapping on the pencil icon in the right of the detail view's menu-bar.

This view operates almost identically to the the Content Item Addition view, except that the field values are filled in with the values that were already assigned to them, if any.

All of the fields values except for that of the label are optional, and can be left empty. All of the field values allow single lines of text.

When you are in this view, the menu-bar left-side session navigation button is a leftward-pointing arrow, for abandoning the changes and returning to the Content List view. The menu-bar right side icon is a check-mark, to accept your edits. You can also use the keyboard "Enter" or carriage return key in any field to submit the changes.

Submitting the changed entry with an empty label will cause a brief, transient notification that says "The label is required.", and the app will remain in the edit view with the text that you've entered. You must either enter a label or abandon the changes to be done with it.

To abandon the changes, hit the leftward-pointing arrow in the left of the menu-bar.

Whether you successfully submit or cancel the changes, the app will ascend to the Content List view with the item, changed or not, situated in the same location that it previously occupied.

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