randtext.sty

%
% randtext.sty
%
% Charles Duan (2004/12/20)
%
% Provides one useful macro, \randomize{TEXT}. Result is a typeset box that
% looks, on paper, like TEXT, but whose letters have in fact been placed in
% random order so that they are not copiable from the file directly.
%
% In other words, typing:
%
%   This is a \randomize{random-text} test.
%
% would produce output that looks like:
%
%   This is a random-text test.
%
% but if you tried to copy-paste it from the output file, you would probably get
%
%   This is a mdoxt-etnra test.
%
% The function of this odd macro is to obfuscate e-mail addresses, say on a PDF
% document put online, so that the human reader sees the address as expected,
% but e-mail address harvesters and spambots cannot determine the address. Since
% this macro is done entirely using TeX typesetting commands, it requires no
% external image generation or anything, and the typeset result is just as
% high-quality as if no obfuscation had taken place.
%
% This macro does take into account kerning between character pairs, but it does
% not account for ligatures. To make appropriate ligatures, surround the
% ligature characters with braces.
%
% This package supersedes "switcheml.sty", written by the same author. (That is
% the reason that the internal macros begin with "se@".
%
% Requires the file "random.tex", by Donald Arseneau. I believe that this file
% comes as part of a standard TeX distribution.
%
%
\ProvidesPackage{randtext}[2004/12/20 Obfuscate text]
%
% We use the random package to pick random numbers.
\input random
%
% \se@count stores the number of letters/groups to typeset. For instance,
%   \randomize{abc{de}fg{hij}kl}
% contains 9 letters/groups.
\newcount\se@count
%
% \se@random is a random number register.
\newcount\se@random
% 
% \se@pos is used to store the width of each section of the randomized text.
\newdimen\se@pos
%
% Randomize the text of the argument.
\def\randomize#1{%
    % Do nothing for empty argument.
    \def\se@tmp{#1}\ifx\se@tmp\@empty\else
        % Make our work local
	\begingroup
	    % In case this is the first thing in the paragraph, go to horizontal
	    % mode
	    \leavevmode
	    % Initialize \se@count=1, \se@pos=0pt
	    \se@count\@ne
	    \se@pos\z@
	    % Now iterate over the argument text. The \relax is put at the end
	    % as an untypeset token.
	    \se@randomize#1\relax\@stop
	\endgroup
    \fi
}
%
% Iterator function for \randomize. Essentially, this function will be executed
% once for each token in the list.
\def\se@randomize#1#2#3\@stop{%
    % Define a macro \pos@[\se@count]. Essentially, this makes a unique,
    % numbered macro for each letter/group.
    \expandafter\edef\csname pos@\the\se@count\endcsname{%
	% The macro produces a zero-width box that jumps forward \se@pos and
	% then typesets the letter/group. Note the \the\se@pos, to force current
	% evaluation of the distance to move forward.
	\noexpand\rlap{\hskip\the\se@pos\relax#1}%
    }%
    % Advance \se@pos forward by the width of the first group and the
    % immediately subsequent group, and then backward by the width of the second
    % group. The effect is to advance \se@pos by the first group and the kern
    % between the first and second groups.
    \setbox\z@\hbox{#1#2}\advance\se@pos\wd\z@
    \setbox\z@\hbox{#2}\advance\se@pos-\wd\z@
    %
    % If there's nothing left to iterate over, then:
    %   \se@pos is the width of the whole text
    %   \se@count is the number of letters/groups, or the highest \pos@[number]
    % so we make a box of width \se@pos, place our random letters in it with
    % \se@rand@place, and fill up the box for good measure.
    %
    % Otherwise, increment \se@count and run the function again.
    %
    % Note two things:
    % 1. We put braces around #2 but not #3. Since there's an extra \relax at
    % the end of #3 at all times, we don't have the problem of TeX stripping any
    % braces from it.
    % 2. The other reason we needed that \relax was that, since we read
    % letters/groups in pairs, the last letter/group would only be read if there
    % was an extra token at the end (i.e., the \relax).
    \def\se@tmp{#3}\ifx\se@tmp\@empty \expandafter\@firstoftwo
                   \else              \expandafter\@secondoftwo \fi
    {\hb@xt@\se@pos{\se@rand@place\hfill}}%
    {\advance\se@count\@ne\se@randomize{#2}#3\@stop}%
}
%
% Now all of our \pos@[number] functions are set, and we just need to randomly
% select and place.
\def\se@rand@place{%
    %
    % Pick a random number between one and \se@num. (If \se@num>3, then ensure
    % that the number is over three. This way, the first two elements will
    % always be typeset last, guaranteeing at least some contortion.)
    \ifnum\se@count>\z@
	\ifnum\se@count>\thr@@
	    \setrannum\se@random\thr@@\se@count
	\else
	    \setrannum\se@random\@ne\se@count
	\fi
	% Execute \pos@[\se@random].
	\csname pos@\the\se@random\endcsname
	% Now replace \pos@[\se@random] with \pos@[\se@count] and decrement
	% \se@count. This way, the next random number will be guaranteed to
	% typeset an unselected value.
	\ifnum\se@random=\se@count\else
	    \edef\reserved@a{%
		\let\expandafter\noexpand\csname pos@\the\se@random\endcsname
		    \expandafter\noexpand\csname pos@\the\se@count\endcsname
	    }\reserved@a
	\fi
	\advance\se@count\m@ne
	% Repeat
	\expandafter\se@rand@place
    \fi
}
\endinput