gchq/CyberChef

Feature request: Improve highlighting by using sourcemaps

Open

#267 opened on Mar 23, 2018

View on GitHub
 (0 comments) (0 reactions) (0 assignees)JavaScript (34,843 stars) (3,944 forks)batch import
featurehelp wanted

Description

Summary

Operation highlighting is currently calculated using offsets. For example, highlighting "Hello" in the input will highlight the corresponding bytes in the output.

This is not particularly reliable when formats are changed or for more complex operations. A better solution would be to generate some form of sourcemap while running certain operations. This would reveal exactly how the input maps to the output.

Some research is required to work out how to carry this out efficiently and how best to architect the solution.

Contributor guide

Tech stack
javascript
Domain
frontend
Issue type
feature
DifficultyEstimated implementation difficulty for a new contributor, from 1 for very small changes to 5 for expert-level work.
4
Estimated timeA rough time range for an experienced contributor to investigate, implement, test, and prepare a pull request.
over 1 week
Activity statusHow available the issue appears right now: fresh, active, stale, blocked, or waiting on maintainer input.
stale
ClarityHow clearly the issue explains the expected change, acceptance criteria, and next step.
needs investigation
Prerequisites
JavaScriptfamiliarity with sourcemapsunderstanding of CyberChef's data flow
Newbie friendlinessA 1-100 score estimating how approachable this issue is for first-time contributors.
25
Research direction
Examine how operations currently handle highlighting using offsets in the source code (e.g., in src/core/operations/). Research sourcemap generation techniques, possibly using existing libraries. For a concrete starting point, consider implementing sourcemap generation for the To Base64 operation to understand the mapping requirements. Propose an architecture that adds a sourcemap field to operation output, ensuring backward compatibility. Discuss findings in the issue before implementation.