LOL, so hiding a variable is a feeble way to protect against intruders --if an attacker has access to code. That's acceptable. It's been a fun exercise. I've learned a lot from it. It was intended to only protect against "incorrect usage" ie calls outside of the UI/api. The ecommerce package avoided this issue by using monolithic code blocks via connections only --difficult to debug or revise.
I'm so glad that security audits continue so proactively. This is so important for maintaining successful app frameworks --including open source ones-- and especially for a time-tested, mature one like OpenACS. Thank you.
I might try Next Scripting next year --or when it comes time to re-factor completed apps. After learning some polymorphism/object oriented principles, I am re-factoring code under development --cutting line count in half while producing cleaner, more legible code.
cheers,
Ben
