Contributing

Thank you for your interest in contributing to this project!

This guide will walk you through the process of adding a new Visual Secret Sharing (VSS) algorithm to the repository.

Steps to Add a New Algorithm

Fork & Clone the Repository

1. Fork this repository to your GitHub account.
2. Clone your forked repository:
   

   git clone https://github.com/coduri/VisualCrypto.git
   cd vss-project
   

3. Create a new branch for your changes:
   

   git checkout -b feature/new-algorithm
   

Implement Your Algorithm

Locate the appropriate directory based on your algorithm type:

• Visual Cryptography algorithms: scripts/visual_cryptography/
• Random Grid algorithms: scripts/random_grid/

Create a new Python script for your VSS scheme. Follow the structure of existing scripts and implement the following functions:

Core Functions

• encrypt(image) → Takes an image as input and returns the generated shares.
• decrypt(shares) → Reconstructs the image from the shares.
• main() → Tests the scheme using scripts/images/test.png. It imports an image, performs encryption, saves the shares, re-imports them for decryption, and saves the result.

Handling Multiple Encryption/Decryption Variants

If your algorithm supports multiple encryption or decryption methods, encapsulate them into a single function with a selection parameter.

Example from rg_grayscale_halftone.py:

def decrypt(image1, image2, operation):
    if operation.upper() == "XOR":
        return decrypt_with_XOR(image1, image2)
    elif operation.upper() == "OR":
        return decrypt_with_OR(image1, image2)
    else:
        raise ValueError(f"Invalid decryption operation: {operation}. Choose 'XOR' or 'OR'.")

Support Functions (Refer to Web Interface Integration)

• get_description() → Provides details and references for the scheme.
• get_requirements() → Specifies input requirements for encryption and decryption.
• get_config() → Defines algorithm configurations for integration.

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Update the Algorithm Interface

Warning

This step is essential to ensure that your algorithm is accessible through the web interface!

Once your script is implemented, update algo_interface.py by:

1. Importing your scheme:
   

   from scripts.visual_cryptography import (...), vc_new_scheme
   from scripts.random_grid import (...), rg_new_scheme
   

2. Adding an entry in the ALGORITHM_MODULES dictionary:
   

   ALGORITHM_MODULES = {
       (...)
       "vc_new_scheme": vc_new_scheme.get_config(),
       "rg_new_scheme": rg_new_scheme.get_config()
   }
   

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Test Your Algorithm

Before submitting a Pull Request:

• Run your main() function and verify the output.
• Test your algorithm within the Flask app to ensure correct share generation & decryption.

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Submit a Pull Request

1. Commit your changes:
   

   git add .
   git commit -m "Added new VSS algorithm: Your Algorithm Name"
   

2. Push your branch:
   

   git push origin feature/new-algorithm
   

3. Open a Pull Request on GitHub:
   • Navigate to the Original Repository.
   • Click New Pull Request.
   • Select your branch, add a descriptive title, and explain your changes.
   • Attach references, screenshots, or example outputs if applicable.

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Thank You for Contributing!

Contributions to this project are greatly appreciated. For any questions, feel free to open an issue or reach out to the maintainers- Contact details can be found in the footer of this documentation.

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