Convert DB from Passowords Plus to 1Password

jsdyer

I want to migrate to 1Password. Is there any advice on importing my Passwords Plus database into 1Password (to be used on WIN10/11, Android and iPad systems)? I have search the knowledge base for current information but didn't see anything but a thread from 2015 in the Mac area. It would be easiest for me to migrate from PW+ on my Win10 machine to populate 1Password (I have both usual format entries and a large number also with custom fields, 500 in total).

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jsdyer

I see now that there is a mrc-converter-suite package that covers Passwords Plus.

I think I can follow the command line instructions, although I don't understand what the ".." are for in this part of the Windows instuctions for immediately prior to conversion: "perl convert.pl -v enpass ..\pm_export.json". I was assuming the syntax would be "perl convert.pl -v passwordsplus [PWP CSV Export File Name]

But more fundamentally, is this worth doing where probably 35-50% of my 500 entries are "custom" in that the entries are going to be somewhat different from the PwP stock categories for the data.....it's not standardized? If these converted entries will be wrong when imported into 1Password, and then buried in the vault, perhaps the undesirable manual conversion of each entry is preferable in the long run. What is the judgment of the experts?

MrC

Hello @jsdyer

Sorry for the late reply, I didn't see your post until this evening.

You've asked good questions; let's see if my answers help.

As to your first question, the converter instructions advise / assume you place your export file on your Desktop. And the instructions also advise / assume you place the mrc-converter-suite folder on your Desktop. Your working directory will be within that converter suite folder, and the ..\ portion of the export file path means "one folder / directory up the folder tree" (e.g. the parent directory). You are welcome to use a full path to the export file on the command line. The suggested ..\pm_export path is just easier to type (and to write instructions).

The converter can most likely be customized to match your custom templates / fields. There are limitations when export data contains ambiguous data. This converter looks for field labels, counts them, and allows certain labels to trigger category detection. For example, the "website" category (which maps to 1Password's Login category) requires three labels, the usual suspects of Username, Password, and URL. This requirement is because the export data contains no indication of a record's category, only the field labels are available, and other categories use the exact same labels. The 'website' definition looks like this:

What's required is adjusting those labels (and possibly the counts - the 3 you see) to cause matches and category detection. There are additional definitions for each of the stock categories; more can be added, mapping the category and the fields to the relevant 1Password target records. If you've changed your Username field in your website category to be something unique across your records, such as Login Email, than it may suffice to change the Username pattern to match that label, and reduce the count from 3 to 1.

So if the converter can be customized to match a large percentage of your needs, then it's worth doing. It will save time, and more importantly, be less error-prone than manual data migration.

I'm happy to help get you a customized converter. It's usually best to start with the big wins, like Login records. Then, the process is a matter of small adjustments until you're satisfied with the results.

We can work online here or offline via email - your choice. Either way, don't share any of your sensitive data. Let me know what you'd like to do.

jsdyer

Thanks for your response! Very helpful, and I'll have to study it and review the actual records that I have.

What my less complete review yesterday showed is that over the years I have been consistently inconsistent in the fields that I used for the many customized records....PwP didn't populate login screens or anything like that, so all I needed to do was what it could do: when I pulled up the entry it gave me information I needed to log in, as well as membership numbers, codes for s/w access, door codes for gates/apartments, etc.

There may be too few low hanging fruits on the custom record branch to be able to get big wins and use 1Pw with its complete functionality. I'll look and see if any customization is likely to move me far down the road.

I appreciate your quick help.

MrC

@jsdyer

Great, and you're welcome.

The most important thing would be to identify what ulimately become 1Password Login, Credit Card, and perhaps Identity. These are the categories that can form fill. Bank Account woud be a nice to have. Ultimately the other's are basically a templated form of a Secure Note, and of course you could migrate those over time.

You can use --verbose and --debug to show how patterns are being used to match and trigger category detection. There are other options that can help make the process quicker (--imptypes and --exptypes).

The field label patterns can be complex - most of them are regular expressions, some are simple strings. REs of course allow detection of varaitions in labels.

Here's a row of data that feels like a Login, but it didn't get detected as such because the labels were non-stock:

Adding those labels as part of the pattern could cause a Login match.

Here's another row that got detected as a Credit Card, and part of the record was also split into a Login record:

The final Import and Export summary will reveal stats about the process:

$ perl convert.pl -v  passwordsplus testfiles/passwordsplus/passwordsplus_mac.csv
Import summary:
   36 items discovered
   16 items ignored (category templates)
    4 items were added by splitting 3 original items
Export summary:
    1 Bank Account item
    1 Credit Card item
    1 Driver License item
    1 Email Account item
    1 Medical Record item
    1 Passport item
    1 Social Security Number item
    3 Login items
    4 Membership items
   10 Secure Note items
   24 total items
You may now import the file below into 1Password 8:
    /Users/cappella/Desktop/MCS_converted.1pux

jsdyer

;-) Just back from a trip today, I'll look at this more in a day or two! Tnks.

jsdyer

Mr C., looking at the whole picture, and my personal bandwidth for looking at command line information, I decided to go ahead and do a manual entry into 1Password. I'm about 80% done, after only a few hours, it actually went quickly, and I'm better off with that mindless work than learning new stuff that's beyond my personal needs.

This isn't a reflection on your converter at all (and I have no basis to do so), it is a reality of my consistent use of non-standard templates for my entries, and I thank you for your time and energy in responding to my inquiries.

Anyway, I'm nearly done and I appreciate your messages.

MrC

@jsdyer

In the end, the only thing that matters is that you were able to get your data into 1Password, and use it satisfactorily. The converters are simply tools to help assist others to move towards that goal. Used or not, the end result is that you're able to Enjoy 1Password!

Cheers.

jsdyer

All done with my entries now, cleaned a bunch up in the process, it's nice to know there's a dedicated support community out there that, hopefully, I won't be needing!

Catherine_F1P

Hey @jsdyer - we're happy to hear you're all done with your entries now and appreciating the support community. 💙