LibOFX 0.1 release

Benoit Grégoire bock@step.polymtl.ca
Fri, 19 Apr 2002 22:13:18 -0400


> > Somewhere in the future:
> > -investment transactions.
> > -Decryption, if someone has a need for it and provides sample files.
>
> Granted that I haven't looked at the specs in over a year, but the only
> encryption I'm aware of was SSL which is just transport encryption.  It's
> up to the client to encrypt for storage.

There is also what they call Type 1 security, to encrypt the password once the 
SSL channel is finished (between the bank's servers for example).  But on 
further reading, it only applies to the request par of OFX.  So it is indeed 
irellevent for LibOFX (except maybe in the distant future where OFX requests 
might be supported.
 
> > Call for help:
> > -Please note that despite a very detailled spec, OFX is by nature very
> > hard to test.  I only have access to the specifications examples, and
> > my own bank (Desjardins).  But I need people to run as many ofx files
> > from different banks as they can thru libofx, and report the result.
>
> I'll run some of the statements from my bank (Affinity FCU) thru.  I'm not
> sure how well they'll work since it's OFXv1.02.  IIRC 1.02 is a subset of
> the later specs.  The only potential gotcha is that it is SGML as opposed
> to XML.  We'll find out.

It isn't a problem.  The library is based on OFX 1.6, wich is the most 
complete spec, and based on SGML.  OFX 1.02 can be parsed by the same DTD, 
and OFX 2.01 is actually a subset of 1.6, formatted as valid XML.  I haven't 
worked on parsing OFX 2.01 DTD yet, however, it will probably work, to some 
extent with the current version.

> Perhaps a quick survey what version other peoples' banks use would be
> enlightening?

It would.  My bank is also at 1.02, and I wonder how widely deployed later 
versions are.  But even more usefull would be to know if anyone's bank 
actually deployed OFX features OTHER than standard account and credit card 
statement download.