Python Encrypted Messages

1. It's time to send secret messages! First, we'll have to build an encryption system to hide our
messages. Let’s start by asking a) what that message is and b) who is sending it and then
assigning each answer to the variables message and numkey respectively.
message = input (“Enter your message, your secret is safe with me: “)
numkey = input(“What is your name? “)

2. Build the bank of letters that may be in a message as a string. These are all the possible letter
options in a message including capitals, spaces, numbers and punctuation. This string has a
length of 71

message = input (“Enter your message, your secret is safe with me: “)
numkey = input(“What is your name? “)

bank = “ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz,’?!.$*&0123456789”

3. To create the encryption, we’ll use the length of the sender’s name as the key. Make a
variable named key that is the length of the numkey string by using len().

message = input (“Enter your message, your secret is safe with me: “)
numkey = input(“What is your name? “)

bank = “ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz,’?!.$*&0123456789”

key=len(numkey)

4. Create an empty string called encrypt to hold the new encrypted message.

message = input (“Enter your message, your secret is safe with me: “)
numkey = input(“What is your name? “)

bank = “ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz,’?!.$*&0123456789”

key=len(numkey)

encrypt = “”

When encrypting any message, we are generally replacing one letter with a specific new
letter based on a key or cypher. For this simple encryption, we are going to replace the
original letter with the letter key (say 5) positions away from it in our bank.
For example: Say the letter we are trying to replace is “c”. Our key is based on the sender’s
name, “Billy” therefore the length of this string is 5. Our new encrypted letter will be 5 positions
further in our bank or alphabet that the original. c à (d e f g) à h. Our new encrypted letter is “h”.

Python Encrypt & Decrypt Messages

Python Encrypted Messages
5. To change each letter in a string, we can index (i) or look up each part of the string and
preform a few actions before moving on the next letter. This is done in a for loop.
message = input (“Enter your message, your secret is safe with me: “)
numkey = input(“What is your name? “)

bank = “ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz,’?!.$*&0123456789”

key=len(numkey)

encrypt = “”

for i in message: # for each position or letter in the string “message”

# do the following:

6. For each letter or character in the message, we are first going to find its position within our
bank. If our message is “Science is cool”, first look at S = 19 position, c = 30 position etc.

message = input (“Enter your message, your secret is safe with me: “)
numkey = input(“What is your name? “)

bank = “ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz,’?!.$*&0123456789”

key=len(numkey)

encrypt = “”

for i in message:
position = bank.find(i)

7. Use the key to create the position of the new letter. The %71 is to account for letters at the end of
the bank where we would have to continue counting from the beginning again.
message = input (“Enter your message, your secret is safe with me: “)
numkey = input(“What is your name? “)

bank = “ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz,’?!.$*&0123456789”

key=len(numkey)

encrypt = “”

for i in message:
position = bank.find(i)
newposition = (position + key) % 71

Python Encrypt & Decrypt Messages

Python Encrypted Messages
8. Finally we have to add the letter in this new position bank[newposition] to our encrypt =
“” string by using +=. Remember that these 3 steps must be indented under the for loop.
message = input (“Enter your message, your secret is safe with me: “)
numkey = input(“What is your name? “)

bank = “ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz,’?!.$*&0123456789”

key=len(numkey)

encrypt = “”

for i in message:
position = bank.find(i)
newposition = (position + key) % 71
encrypt += bank[newposition]

9. Use the print() function to display the new encrypted message to the user.
message = input (“Enter your message, your secret is safe with me: “)
numkey = input(“What is your name? “)

bank = “ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz,’?!.$*&0123456789”

key=len(numkey)

encrypt = “”

for i in message:
position = bank.find(i)
newposition = (position + key) % 71
encrypt += bank[newposition]

print(“Your encrypted message is: “ +encrypt)

The first part is now done! We have an encrypted message. Now let’s get that message to
the right person. For the decryption code, we are going to do the almost the same thing.
Can you give it a try?
You’ll have to make new variables for the decryption positions and change the math in the for
loop. Try it out before you jump to the next page.

Python Encrypt & Decrypt Messages

Python Encrypted Messages
10. Let’s look at just the decryption code for now. First, we have to make sure that only the right
person can see the decrypted message. Let’s ask what the magic number is. Tell the user the
trick (the number of letters in your name). We will use this for our new decryption key or dkey.
Make sure you turn it from a string to an integer so we can use it in our future equation.
print(“\n \n Are you ready for your message?”) # \n will give us a new line
dkey = input(“Then what is the magic number? “)

dkey = int(dkey)

11. Create the variable decrypt and make it an empty string like the original encrypt variable.
print(“\n \nAre you ready for your message?”) # \n will give us a new line
dkey = input(“Then what is the magic number? “)

dkey = int(dkey)

decrypt = “”

12. Create a similar for loop for the decryption. We’ll use the same bank but will have to make
slightly different variable names for the encrypted message positions.
print(“\n \nAre you ready for your message?”) # \n will give us a new line
dkey = input(“Then what is the magic number? “)

dkey = int(dkey)

decrypt = “”

for i in encrypt:
pos = bank.find(i)
newpos = (pos – dkey) % 71
decrypt += bank[newpos]

12. Now all you have to do is print the decrypted message for your user!
print(“\n \nAre you ready for your message?”) # \n will give us a new line
dkey = input(“Then what is the magic number? “)

dkey = int(dkey)

decrypt = “”

for i in encrypt:
pos = bank.find(i)
newpos = (pos – dkey) % 71
decrypt += bank[newpos]

print(numkey+ “ wishes to tell you... “ +decrypt)

Python Encrypt & Decrypt Messages

Python Encrypted Messages

Putting the two parts together,

your final code should look like this:

message = input (“Enter your message, your secret is safe with me: “)
numkey = input(“What is your name? “)

bank = “ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz,’?!.$*&0123456789”

key=len(numkey)

encrypt = “”

for i in message:
position = bank.find(i)
newposition = (position + key) % 71
encrypt += bank[newposition]

print(“Your encrypted message is: “ +encrypt)

##########################################################

print(“\n \n Are you ready for your message?”)

dkey = input(“Then what is the magic number? “)

dkey = int(dkey)

decrypt = “”

for i in encrypt:
pos = bank.find(i)
newpos = (pos – dkey) % 71
decrypt += bank[newpos]

print(numkey+ “ wishes to tell you... “ +decrypt)

Right now, anyone looking at the screen can see the original message. Can you make it so the user would have
to input the encrypted message into the program? This way your friends can open up the "Decrypter Program"
and input the message and magic number to get their message.

Hint: You'll have to split the code into two programs.

Python Encrypt & Decrypt Messages