PRB: RDC/ODBC Password Display Inconsistencies

• Enterprise Edition of Microsoft Visual Basic, 32-bit only, for Windows, version 4.0

SUMMARY

When setting the password property of the RemoteData Control (RDC) at design time in the Property Window, asterisks are not substituted for the password characters. When the ODBC dialog box is displayed, the password is converted into asterisks.

CAUSE

The RDC does not control the edit field in the Property Window, and therefore cannot force asterisks to be displayed. An OLE custom control does not have direct control over the Property window supplied by the Visual Basic design environment. The Remote Data control does correctly use asterisks in its own Property page.

RESOLUTION

If you want to protect password information, use the property sheet provided by the Remote Data control itself. To access this property sheet either right mouse click on the control itself and choose the properties menu item or click on the (Custom) property button in the Visual Basic Property window. When you type the password, asterisks will be substituted for the characters. When this is completed, the password is not displayed in the Visual Basic property window, so security is not compromised.

MORE INFORMATION

Steps to Reproduce Behavior

1. Start a new project in Visual Basic. Form1 is created by default.

   that the password is readable.

   Property window supplied by the control itself. When you type in the
   password, property asterisks will be displayed instead of the characters
   you type.