fingerprint associated public key does not match displayed public key

[Robert J. Hansen]

> The document snapshot analogy really helps.

I'm glad it's helped!

>> No, and I'm going to strongly encourage you to stop asking
> implementation questions.
> 
> I think I'll take that advice.

When you think you're ready, we'll be here to answer your implementation 
questions.  It would break my heart if you thought you should never ask 
them -- I just, only, think that diving into implementation details is 
almost always a bad idea for new users.

If you want to teach someone poetry you start by showing them the witty 
banter and playful puns in Shakespeare, and encourage them to laugh and 
enjoy the show.  Learning about iambic pentameter can wait.  :)

> I'm getting the picture now.  The pgp key block is really the
> certificate.  The certificate holds the key and metadata.

Key(s): a certificate holds at least one, but usually more than one. 
Beyond that minor detail you've got it perfect.

>> gpg --import < certificate.asc
> 
> So, when dealing with a displayed certificate (what I was calling a
> pgp public key block), the only method I thought of was copying and
> pasting it onto a txt file.  But the import command doesn't work with
> txt.

Sure it does.  I did that no more than twenty minutes ago myself.

How were you trying to do this?