Guest Growley Posted September 8, 2001 Share Posted September 8, 2001 I know there are other threads on this subject however, I can't find what Im looking for. I am planning a virtual cache and need some assistance/ideas on how the finder will log this and get a certificate or something from me. I understand that there is a way of setting up a password to enter the login site. Thanks for your help. Quote Link to comment
Guest arffer Posted September 8, 2001 Share Posted September 8, 2001 Many owners of virtual caches ask a question on the cache details page that can only be answered by actually visiting the cache. Like the word on a sign, or the shape/color etc. of some object. Once someone gets to the virtual cache so they can get the answer to your question, they then email you the answer to prove they found it. If the answer is right, then you give them permission to go ahead and log the cache as a FIND. Hope that helps! Quote Link to comment
Guest Markwell Posted September 8, 2001 Share Posted September 8, 2001 I've seen a couple around here that use a password protected Word document as the certificate of accomplishment. They upload that file as the picture. Only way you can open the Word document is with a password. Me personally - I'd do it in Adobe so that Mac people could do this too. Quote Link to comment
Guest EraSeek Posted September 8, 2001 Share Posted September 8, 2001 I use the honor system. They have to find something very specific and match it to the encrypted "clue". If it doesn't match they can use the clue to go back and look again. Quote Link to comment
Guest Dinsdale Posted September 9, 2001 Share Posted September 9, 2001 Markwell, Just for the record, Word works just fine on Macs. The Mac version and the PC version are completely compatible with each other. In fact, most Mac users are more likely to have Word than an Adobe product. - Dinsdale (Mac & PC user) Quote Link to comment
Guest Nemesis Posted September 9, 2001 Share Posted September 9, 2001 quote:Originally posted by Dinsdale:Word works just fine on Macs Yeah, but some Mac users choose not to use any Microsoft products (that may have been the attraction in the first place). I, myself, prefer not to when using a Mac. Cheers, Donovan. Quote Link to comment
Guest Nemesis Posted September 9, 2001 Share Posted September 9, 2001 quote:Originally posted by Dinsdale:Word works just fine on Macs Yeah, but some Mac users choose not to use any Microsoft products (that may have been the attraction in the first place). I, myself, prefer not to when using a Mac. Cheers, Donovan. Quote Link to comment
Guest arffer Posted September 10, 2001 Share Posted September 10, 2001 The uploading of a password protected file in place of the 'photo' for a cache is a good idea. But in the interest of making it available to most cachers, howabout using a password protected zip? Just about everyone has unzippers/unstuffers, and I believe all support the password feature. In this way, the zipped file might be a photo, or an award graphic to print out, or a richtext document of acheivnment etc. The problem with a Word document, is that even amongst us Windows users, only a subset has Word. For example, there is not a copy in our whole department, we don't like Word. Quote Link to comment
Guest Markwell Posted September 10, 2001 Share Posted September 10, 2001 I'm not advocating Word - just that this was an example of what I found. By all means - zipped JPGs with password protection, password protected PDFs, whatever. My point was only the password protection on the document. Remember though - less than 100K! Quote Link to comment
Guest Growley Posted September 10, 2001 Share Posted September 10, 2001 Thank you so much for the suggestions. Now, I hate to show my total "lack of knowledge" with computers however, I'm not sure how to make a passworded file that everyone could open. Will my "very rarely used" help file tell me how to do this or is it off to "Books-a-Million" for another dummies book? Quote Link to comment
Guest arffer Posted September 10, 2001 Share Posted September 10, 2001 Sorry Markwell, I didn't mean to sound like you were advocating Word, I knew it was just an example. I too had come across the cache you were referring to. Just thought the password zip file might be more accessable. Plus, the zip file has more chance of meeting the 100k limit, since it is a compression. A small award graphic zipped should not be more than just a few 'k' in size. I use winzip on my PC, and the help file explains how to password protect a zip file. Quote Link to comment
Guest celts Posted September 10, 2001 Share Posted September 10, 2001 quote:Originally posted by arffer: The problem with a Word document, is that even amongst us Windows users, only a subset has Word. For example, there is not a copy in our whole department, we don't like Word. Someone in my search area has hidden 4 password protected virtual caches. After I found the first and was unable to open it ( a WORD document) I told the finder and now I just email him the password. Quote Link to comment
Guest Markwell Posted September 10, 2001 Share Posted September 10, 2001 celts - those are the ones I was referring to, in Effingham. Since I haven't been down to the spot, I hadn't tried any of them yet. Didn't work, hmmm? Sure you had the password right? Quote Link to comment
Guest Markwell Posted September 10, 2001 Share Posted September 10, 2001 celts - those are the ones I was referring to, in Effingham. Since I haven't been down to the spot, I hadn't tried any of them yet. Didn't work, hmmm? Sure you had the password right? Quote Link to comment
Guest brokenwing Posted September 10, 2001 Share Posted September 10, 2001 Be careful with passwords, though. Some are so easy to guess that it hardly makes it worthwhile. If I wanted to, I could have logged several this way, just by guessing the password. We went with the Q&A type thing for our only virtual cache. You can see it here. Best of luck, brokenwing ------------------ http://www.cordianet.com/geocaching Quote Link to comment
Guest celts Posted September 10, 2001 Share Posted September 10, 2001 quote:Originally posted by Markwell:celts - those are the ones I was referring to, in Effingham. Since I haven't been down to the spot, I hadn't tried any of them yet. Didn't work, hmmm? Sure you had the password right? I couldn't even OPEN the document after it downloaded---there was no place to PUT a password. I kept coming up with an error message . The cache hider and I tried to work through the problem and decided , along with the help of hikerbob, that my problem must have been caused by the lack of Word on my computer. Also, my sister and daughter were unable to open it on their computers, too. Quote Link to comment
Guest celts Posted September 10, 2001 Share Posted September 10, 2001 quote:Originally posted by Markwell:celts - those are the ones I was referring to, in Effingham. Since I haven't been down to the spot, I hadn't tried any of them yet. Didn't work, hmmm? Sure you had the password right? I couldn't even OPEN the document after it downloaded---there was no place to PUT a password. I kept coming up with an error message . The cache hider and I tried to work through the problem and decided , along with the help of hikerbob, that my problem must have been caused by the lack of Word on my computer. Also, my sister and daughter were unable to open it on their computers, too. Quote Link to comment
Guest celts Posted September 10, 2001 Share Posted September 10, 2001 quote:Originally posted by brokenwing:Be careful with passwords, though. Some are so easy to guess that it hardly makes it worthwhile. If I wanted to, I could have logged several this way, just by guessing the password. I have real mixed feelings on the value of passwords at ALL where virtual caches are concerned. I could have logged the one Markwell and I were discussing without ever contacting the cache placer--it's just not in me to be dishonest, as I'm sure it isn't to most of us. I think if I ever did a virtual cache, I'd do it on the honor system--don't log your visit if you didn't find it. Those among us who would cheat at this will surely cheat at other more important things in life too---and it would be their loss. Quote Link to comment
Guest Nemesis Posted September 10, 2001 Share Posted September 10, 2001 quote:Originally posted by celts:I think if I ever did a virtual cache, I'd do it on the honor system Yes, that's what I do. If someone wants to log caches they have not found then thats their loss. Cheers, Donovan. Quote Link to comment
Guest Nemesis Posted September 10, 2001 Share Posted September 10, 2001 quote:Originally posted by celts:I think if I ever did a virtual cache, I'd do it on the honor system Yes, that's what I do. If someone wants to log caches they have not found then thats their loss. Cheers, Donovan. Quote Link to comment
Guest Markwell Posted September 10, 2001 Share Posted September 10, 2001 quote:Originally posted by celts:...my problem must have been caused by the lack of Word on my computer. Ummm - they were Word documents. Without word, I'd be shocked if you COULD open the documents on your computer. That's why I like the idea of a JPG certificate or Adobe PDF file (most people don't have the full version of Adobe, though). JPGs are the graphics you have on the web, and winzip is a piece of shareware anyone can download and have work on their computer (Mac or Win). Adobe readers is likewise free, and both Adobe and Winzip allow passwords. And Brokenwing - if the password is a random set of numbers and letters gleened from the marker - 194dfys83 or something like that - I doubt that you could just "guess" the password. Quote Link to comment
Guest Markwell Posted September 10, 2001 Share Posted September 10, 2001 quote:Originally posted by celts:...my problem must have been caused by the lack of Word on my computer. Ummm - they were Word documents. Without word, I'd be shocked if you COULD open the documents on your computer. That's why I like the idea of a JPG certificate or Adobe PDF file (most people don't have the full version of Adobe, though). JPGs are the graphics you have on the web, and winzip is a piece of shareware anyone can download and have work on their computer (Mac or Win). Adobe readers is likewise free, and both Adobe and Winzip allow passwords. And Brokenwing - if the password is a random set of numbers and letters gleened from the marker - 194dfys83 or something like that - I doubt that you could just "guess" the password. Quote Link to comment
Guest celts Posted September 10, 2001 Share Posted September 10, 2001 quote:Originally posted by Markwell: Ummm - they were Word documents. Without word, I'd be shocked if you COULD open the documents on your computer. So I guess "wordpad" has nothing to do with WORD documents? As you surely can see by now, I have about the same level of skill at computers as I do at rocket science!! Quote Link to comment
Guest celts Posted September 10, 2001 Share Posted September 10, 2001 quote:Originally posted by Markwell: Ummm - they were Word documents. Without word, I'd be shocked if you COULD open the documents on your computer. So I guess "wordpad" has nothing to do with WORD documents? As you surely can see by now, I have about the same level of skill at computers as I do at rocket science!! Quote Link to comment
Guest TresOkies Posted September 12, 2001 Share Posted September 12, 2001 How about creating an on-line certificate process? Using PHP and mySQL, I can whip up a web form for placers that has a password. Seekers fill in the password and get the certificate with their name pasted on it. I played with this for a few hours this evening and I have it working 90%, but the image manipulation may require me to install packages that I don't currently have. Is there interest in having a web interface that isn't hosted on geocaching.com? Quote Link to comment
Guest TresOkies Posted September 12, 2001 Share Posted September 12, 2001 Try this as a cross-platform virtual cache intermediary... http://www.ericcloninger.com/geocaching/virtualcache.php I have a bogus record inserted for testing using the ID from one of my existing physical caches. Cache #5947 has a password of 'oil'. You can create your own user names and records. If this is useful, I'll finish up the features and clean up the interface. Eric (TresOkies) Quote Link to comment
Guest Markwell Posted September 13, 2001 Share Posted September 13, 2001 t. There's nothing wrong with either program, and I use them frequently, but they just "freebies." Unfortunately, to open a Word document, you'll need either Word or a Word document reader (unless the user who created the Word document saves it in a format to be read by others). Quote Link to comment
Guest Moun10Bike Posted September 13, 2001 Share Posted September 13, 2001 quote:Originally posted by TresOkies:Try this as a cross-platform virtual cache intermediary... If this is useful, I'll finish up the features and clean up the interface. Eric (TresOkies) Eric, I think this is GREAT! I have 1 virtual cache, and would love to use something like this for it! ------------------ Jon (Moun10Bike) 31H/88F N 47° 36.649', W 122° 3.616' www.switchbacks.com/geocaching.html Quote Link to comment
Guest martinp13 Posted September 13, 2001 Share Posted September 13, 2001 Exactly the sort of thing I've been hoping for... not just for virtual caches, but for ANY cache where you want to give out a certificate or bonus. ------------------ > Martin Magellan 330 (1.56/WAAS enabled!) Don't have time to program and record your shows while geocaching? Get a TiVo ! Quote Link to comment
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