Title: Planning Document for Hash$-$Based Cipher

Requirements

$-$ The program shall accept plaintext input from the user.

$-$ The program shall process the plaintext using a hash$-$based cipher algorithm.

$-$ The program shall generate and display the hashed output to the user.

$-$ The program shall support alphanumeric characters and spaces.

$-$ The program shall ensure that the same input produces the same hash output.

Functions

$1.$ InputHandler:

$-$ Description: Accepts plaintext input from the user and validates it$.$

$-$ Inputs: User$-$entered string.

$-$ Outputs: Validated plaintext.

$2.$ HashGenerator:

$-$ Description: Converts the plaintext into a hashed output using an algorithm based on ASCII manipulation and modular arithmetic.

$-$ Inputs: Validated plaintext string.

$-$ Outputs: Hashed string.

$3.$ OutputDisplay:

$-$ Description: Displays the hashed output to the user.

$-$ Inputs: Hashed string.

$-$ Outputs: Printed hashed output on the console or GUI.

Challenges and Considerations

$1.$ Ensuring proper validation of user input to prevent empty or invalid input.

$2.$ Selecting a simple yet illustrative hashing logic to demonstrate core concepts.

$3.$ Maintaining the consistency and integrity of the hash function.

$4.$ Future TODO:

$-$ Research more advanced cryptographic algorithms.

$-$ Implement additional features like salt to prevent hash collisions.