Tools

Package

A Flask Package (*.dfp) file is a compressed file that contains one or more files. Packages can contain any file type. If a contained file is a type recognized by Data Flask, it can be selected to be opened automatically. An encrypted certificate is attached that controls access to the package.

Packages make it easy to combine and distribute grid and script peers, along with associated data files. Because Flask Grid (*.dfg) files are text, a package provides some degree of view protection for your data^*.

Open Package

When opening a package, select an output directory and check whether you want to automatically open one of the files.

If the package creator provided a password, type it in. If the creator issued an Online certificate, press the Validate button after connecting to the internet. Your default browser will activate and show the certificate. Hold Shift while pressing Validate to avoid activating your browser.

The package creator has the ability to disable the package. Online certificates have an automatic 30 day expiration.

The package creator can see when the package was opened, and from what IP address. The certificate url is opened, and the resulting page identifies the certificate as valid. No additional network action is taken, nor is any additional information provided.

Create Package

- The Tools/Create Package command is activated with product registration.

A global identifier, such as {D847CE5A-7A8C-11DB-969C-00E08161165F} is provided to you with registration. That guid becomes part of an the encrypted certificate that is attached to the package. When a user opens a Flask Package (*.dfp) file, the certificate is read, and if the package was created with the option is chosen to verify on-line, the guid is used to validate the certificate.

A password can be assigned to your package, and must be provided to the end-users of your package in order for them to open it.

Online certificates work by storing your global identifier (guid) and the package timestamp in an online database at dataflask.com. When the end-user tries to validates that package, the guid and timestamp are verified in the database. As the creator of the package, you can activate and deactivate particular timestamps using the package control panel.

Control Panel

Use your registration account username and account password to login to the control panel at http://dataflask.com/panel. Please do not provide end users with your account name, or password. The registration account username and password are not included in the certificate, encrypted or otherwise.

Further, your account name and password are neither used nor stored on the local machine, by the Data Flask program. Your registration account is used only to login at dataflask.com, giving you access to download the registered version program installer, and to access your package control panel.

Five slots for five names are available for active packages.

By using the online certificate, you have the option to disable your package. To clear a timestamp, make it blank.

When sending a package to a user, please request that they open the package, even if they don't intend to use the contents right away. Certificates are intended to be validated by a limited number of users, and for a limited time.

IMPORTANT NOTE AND DISCLAIMER:

Data flask offers NO guarantees of any kind with regard certificate validation. Certificate validation service may drop without notice. Please don't place data into a package that requires online validation, and then remove the source files that were placed into that package.

Certificates may automatically expire in 30 days, and are intended to be validated by a limited number of users. The expiration is not permanent. Certificates may be re-issued with manual use of the control panel. The number of users that can validate a package will depend on traffic, and may drop to a single user.

The reason for these nasty restrictions, on top of no guarantee is that at the time of this writing, I am unaware of the performance requirements for the package validation server. We plan to upgrading service to keep pace with certificate demands, however people who open certificates are not required to register. The unknowns involved do not allow us to make guarantees with regard to certificate validation.

If you prefer to provide your own validation server, please visit http://dataflask.com/agentsdk.

^*Data Flask compresses the data, it does not encrypt it. The certificate is encrypted. Online validation is done in plain text.