failed: secret key not available

ryran / pyrite

OpenSSL/GnuPG encryption/signing gui for Linux implemented with Python & PyGTK

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failed: secret key not available #21

Closed nicolas-raoul closed 9 years ago

nicolas-raoul commented 10 years ago

When trying to decrypt, I receive this error:

failed: secret key not available

I think that pyrite could be improved to not fail in this case. For instance, the console command cat | gpg --decrypt has no problem decrypting the same message:

pyrite

ryran commented 10 years ago

Hello Nicolas. The first thing I'd like you to try: don't type the passphrase into the passphrase box. This should lead to GPG prompting you directly for the passphrase. Let me know if that works.

nicolas-raoul commented 10 years ago

That works! Great, thanks a lot :-)

ryran commented 10 years ago

I'm glad to hear it Nicolas... allowing gpg to handle the passphrase is always an option; however, I'd still like to know why it didn't work when you typed the passphrase into pyrite. I wonder if it has something to do with me not testing any time recently on Ubuntu.... What version of ubuntu are you running?

nicolas-raoul commented 10 years ago

Thanks! I am on Ubuntu 2014.04

How about hiding the passphrase textbox by default?

Users like me get the impression that it is required, and will waste 30 seconds typing their long passphrase, everytime they use the app, leading to frustration when compared with command-line.

ryran commented 10 years ago

I've never had the passphrase textbox NOT work ... so I haven't seen it as a problem. I understand it didn't work for you, but I don't think I'm going to hide or remove it because it has a use, namely:

Not everyone has the appropriate gpg agent software installed to allow gpg to prompt for the passphrase (in that case, the passphrase box would have to be used).
The passphrase box potentially allows you to more quickly sign/encrypt/decrypt -- you only have to type it once. (You don't have to type it twice to confirm. You can even perform multiple sign/encrypt/decrypt operations without clearing that box.)

Are you suuuuuure that you typed the passphrase for your secret key appropriately before you hit decrypt?

nicolas-raoul commented 9 years ago

I realized that actually I just needed to uncheck "Symmetric". Sorry!