dired-like interface for GPG

dired-like interface for GPG

[Matthew Leach]

Hello,

I would soon like to embark on making a GPG interface for Emacs. It will
be somewhat like dired, but you use it manage GPG keys in the keyring.
Does this sound useful?

One question I do have; is it advantageous to develop in a separate git
branch so when this is (hopefully) merged, the entire history is
available?

Many thanks,
-- 
Matt

RE: dired-like interface for GPG

[Drew Adams]

> I would soon like to embark on making a GPG interface for Emacs. It
> will be somewhat like dired, but you use it manage GPG keys in the
> keyring.

If you do, please keep things as close as makes sense to the way
Dired does things (e.g. actions on marked things, conventional
key bindings and menus).  (But only where it makes sense.)

Re: dired-like interface for GPG

[Daiki Ueno]

Drew Adams <drew.adams@oracle.com> writes:

>> I would soon like to embark on making a GPG interface for Emacs. It
>> will be somewhat like dired, but you use it manage GPG keys in the
>> keyring.
>
> If you do, please keep things as close as makes sense to the way
> Dired does things (e.g. actions on marked things, conventional
> key bindings and menus).  (But only where it makes sense.)

I like the idea, since `M-x epa-list-keys' is not very useful for key
management.  For what it's worth I've just added a few functions to
epg.el, for advanced key editing.  Now one can edit key attributes with:

--8<---------------cut here---------------start------------->8---
(defun disable-callback (context status string arg)
  (cond
   ((and (equal status "GET_LINE")
	 (equal string "keyedit.prompt"))
    (if (car arg)
	(process-send-string (epg-context-process context) "quit\n")
      (process-send-string (epg-context-process context) "disable\n")))
   ((equal status "GOT_IT")
    (setcar arg t))
   (t
    (message "Unhandled status: %s %s" status string))))

;; Disable a key, associated with a string "test key".
(let ((context (epg-make-context 'OpenPGP))
      (state (list nil))
      keys)
  (setq keys (epg-list-keys context "test key"))
  (if keys
      (epg-edit-key context (car keys) 'disable-callback state)))
--8<---------------cut here---------------end--------------->8---

The interface is a bit inconvenient, but consistent with the GPGME.

See more practical uses in GPA:
http://git.gnupg.org/cgi-bin/gitweb.cgi?p=gpa.git;a=blob;f=src/gpgmeedit.c;h=7ff9a05c0c5e8fbd1599313735160b8d8812f00b;hb=HEAD#l328

Regards,
--
Daiki Ueno

Re: dired-like interface for GPG

[Rasmus]

Matthew Leach <matthew@mattleach.net> writes:

> Hello,
>
> I would soon like to embark on making a GPG interface for Emacs. It will
> be somewhat like dired, but you use it manage GPG keys in the keyring.
> Does this sound useful?

Yes.  Especially if it can make it somewhat "easier" to use than GPG!
In the same way that dired is "easier" than the terminal and vc is
"easier" than vanilla git/svn/whatever.

> One question I do have; is it advantageous to develop in a separate git
> branch so when this is (hopefully) merged, the entire history is
> available?

I think that was suggested to Larsi.  But don't take my word for it.

—Rasmus

-- 
Sådan en god dansk lagereddike kan man slet ikke bruge mere

Re: dired-like interface for GPG

[Ted Zlatanov]

On Mon, 17 Nov 2014 19:24:31 +0000 Matthew Leach <matthew@mattleach.net> wrote: 

ML> I would soon like to embark on making a GPG interface for Emacs. It will
ML> be somewhat like dired, but you use it manage GPG keys in the keyring.
ML> Does this sound useful?

Yes.  Can you please use `tabulated-list-mode'?

The "nsm" branch Lars is developing has a very similar purpose, although
it's managing different things (you want GPG keys, he's doing SSL
certificates).  Perhaps you can use his branch and have one "security
manager" instead of several?

ML> One question I do have; is it advantageous to develop in a separate git
ML> branch so when this is (hopefully) merged, the entire history is
ML> available?

Yes, and right before merging I think it's good to rebase and reduce to
as few commits as possible ("git rebase -i" etc.)

Ted

RE: dired-like interface for GPG

[Drew Adams]

> Yes.  Can you please use `tabulated-list-mode'?

No, please do not do that.  It is much better to use full
Dired as a model.  Dired is much richer than `t-l-mode' -
not comparable at all.  Look to the Dired code as a model
for possible features & behavior in general.

Even if you initially mirror only a few of the Dired
features, it will be good to be able to later mirror more.

Re: dired-like interface for GPG

[Ted Zlatanov]

On Tue, 18 Nov 2014 07:16:34 -0800 (PST) Drew Adams <drew.adams@oracle.com> wrote: 

>> Yes.  Can you please use `tabulated-list-mode'?
DA> No, please do not do that.  It is much better to use full
DA> Dired as a model.  Dired is much richer than `t-l-mode' -
DA> not comparable at all.  Look to the Dired code as a model
DA> for possible features & behavior in general.

DA> Even if you initially mirror only a few of the Dired
DA> features, it will be good to be able to later mirror more.

I don't agree that GPG key management has a lot in common with Dired, so
mirroring the UI doesn't make a lot of sense to me either.  But the
author should at least consider the two options.

Ted