Obfuscating code

[Manaus]

Hello,

the client is asking for template files, is it possibile to ofuscate the code enought to protect my work and keep the website usable?

If so, what's the way?

Thanks!

[Macrura]

@Manaus, if the client paid you for the site, don't they have a right to non-obfuscated php code?

If you need to protect php code in templates you could look at php obfuscators, or zend guard;

i once used a script that was obfuscated but the host kept quarantining it and breaking the site; they would quarantine anything with an eval and base64 code.

[Pete]

the client is asking for template files, is it possibile to ofuscate the code enought to protect my work and keep the website usable?

If so, what's the way?

I can only assume you mean the final rendered HTML? Everything else you can protect by not giving anyone else FTP access so they can't see your PHP code in the template files

If you are talking about the rendered output in the browser, obfuscating HTML would be a bad idea, but you can make it relatively hard work for someone to read it by minifying the output (AIOM module has this ability). However there are plenty of other sites out there where you can throw in some minified HTML and have it un-minified. Same with Javascript files too.

I think that what they are asking for isn't really possible - anyone can steal the design of any website. Except those built purely in Flash of course

[tpr]

Off: I remember a project manager asking for a "read-only source code" to give it to the client. Didn't happen

[SiNNuT]

Uh, Pete, Chrome/FF/IE inspectors aren't hindered one bit by minified html? And prolly a lot of other tools.

/Edit, sorry you already mentioned it

[Manaus]

Thanks guys I'm talking about the php files with business logic PW is using for generating pages.

@Macrura good question, are they? I'm trying to comply with the law of the land. You might say "It depends on the contract". Well the fact that there's a possibility means that there is a global shared tendency to consider the use and the property as different business models. Sincerely I'm curious about what you guys would suggest. 

[Pete]

Thanks guys I'm talking about the php files with business logic PW is using for generating pages.

In which case, who are they trying to protect it from? Just don't give anyone else FTP access to the server would surely be the answer and your PHP code is safe to all but those internal employees with access? Their competitors can't see the code just by looking at the site after all.

In my opinion, obfuscation only adds overhead (as does using something like IonCube or Zend Guard), but if you want to keep the unencrypted code locked away safe and only put encrypted PHP code on the production server then IonCube or Zend Guard are the things to look into.

[Yannick Albert]

Whoops, I just lost the reality

1. Wrap a fantastillion spaces around each statement

2. Use words like "MotherFuck", if you mean "MotherLove"

3. Keep the code on your server and embed it with an iframe

4. Do not ship/deploy the code, entirely

5. Pretend that it is gone

6. Take it easy, don't care about mine and yours

[tpr]

Or just say you are too oldschool and print them on paper