I need to create a program that will solve any Caesar Cipher. The goal is to be given an encoded message, make it an array, and use that array to return to me a decoded message. At the end of the project you will be given a code and will be graded on how efficiently you are able to produce a correct deciphering of the message using your program.
Requirement:
- The code must allow for any string or character array to be used.
I’m in need of some big help
For something general like this, google is always a good first step. The first hit I got was
http://practicalcryptography.com/ciphers/caesar-cipher/
It discusses the problem, and provides links to solutions in several programming languages. Now let 'er rip!
thank you 👍
this website explains too
www.geeksforgeeks.org/caesar-cipher/
Sure, I can help you with that. To create a program that can solve any Caesar Cipher, you can follow these steps:
1. Convert the encoded message into an array: Take the encoded message as input and convert it into an array of characters. You can use a function to split the string into individual characters and store them in an array.
2. Iterate through each character in the array: Use a loop to iterate through each character in the array.
3. Decode the character: To decode each character, you need to shift it back by the same number of positions as it was originally shifted in the encryption process. In a Caesar Cipher, the characters are typically shifted by a fixed number of positions, known as the key. Since you don't know the key in advance, you can try decoding the character by shifting it back by each possible key (from 1 to 25) and check if the resulting character is a valid one.
4. Compare the resulting character with a dictionary: Create a dictionary or use an existing one to check if the resulting character is a valid English character. You can consider uppercase letters (A-Z), lowercase letters (a-z), and common punctuation marks. If the resulting character matches any of these, you can consider it as a potential decoding.
5. Return the decoded message: Once you find a valid character, you can append it to a new array or string to build the decoded message. Repeat this process for each character in the array until you have decoded the entire message.
6. Test with different keys: Since the key is not known, you can try decoding the message using different keys until you find a decoded message that makes sense. You can employ various techniques to determine the correctness of the decoded message, such as looking for common English words or patterns.
By following these steps, you should be able to create a program that can solve any Caesar Cipher. Keep in mind that efficiency can be improved by using appropriate data structures and algorithms, such as hash tables or frequency analysis, to speed up the decoding process.