Watchtower Workflow: Updating a Password

markballou

I'm systematically going through the Watchtower list and updating passwords that were flagged. Love this new feature! But updating 150+ passwords it's brought up some obvious workflow issues.

First, I noticed that 1P doesn't prompt me consistently to update after I change a password. Some sites don't trigger 1P after the change for whatever reason. (OSX Mavericks 10.9.3 & Safari Version 7.0.3 [9537.75.14]).

However, my primary issue is with generating new passwords. A common workflow for many sites in the update process is that it will ask for you OLD PASSWORD and also provide two fields for a NEW PASSWORD (new + confirm new). In total there are usually 3 fields. Common sense dictates that I would use 1P to populate the Old Password and then I would generate a New Password to fill the next 2 fields. However, using 1P to fill the Old Password consistently fills the New Password fields with the Old info. I then have to delete the incorrectly auto-filled fields and then populate it with a newly generated password.

Is there a way we can make 1P intelligent enough to not populate fields marked "New" with old data? For instance if 1P recognized common terms used for a password update page, it would avoid auto-filling any field marked "new?"

Would love to clean this workflow up a bit.

Finally, as an afterthought, I wish there was a way to easily refresh Password Generator results, such as clicking the Password Generator icon. I usually toggle a setting in the Password Recipe off/on and it updates. But that's not very elegant. Also there are times that I want to manually edit a generated password and then see the strength adjust (when a site limits certain characters, or I just don't like the generator results). It doesn't appear you can edit a generated password in the Password Generator field at all.

Thanks for all the hard work and offering a great new feature in Watchtower!

sjk

Hi @markballou,

We appreciate your kind words and are glad to hear you're liking the Watchtower feature. Thanks! :)

This guide has instructions for updating password with 1Password:

Updating your site's password

Instead of using filling to populate the "Old Password" field, which often also unintentionally populates "New Password" fields, try copying your current password from 1Password mini and pasting it into the "Old Password "field. Then generate a new password and fill "New Password" fields.

I noticed that 1P doesn't prompt me consistently to update after I change a password.

For those cases, this guide (referred to at the bottom of the previous one) suggests how to do it manually:

Updating your site's password manually

Is there a way we can make 1P intelligent enough to not populate fields marked "New" with old data? For instance if 1P recognized common terms used for a password update page, it would avoid auto-filling any field marked "new?"

Not at the moment, although it's been suggested. And @collide007‌ recently expanded on that with the idea of automatically and/or manually identifying and marking any current and new password fields, then filling both in a single step: here.

Would love to clean this workflow up a bit.

You're not alone and your interest has been noted. :)

I wish there was a way to easily refresh Password Generator results, such as clicking the Password Generator icon.

I've added your wish for that to the open request for it in our tracker. .

I usually toggle a setting in the Password Recipe off/on and it updates.

Same here. And clicking a currently selected radio button also does it, e.g.:

It doesn't appear you can edit a generated password in the Password Generator field at all.

That should be working, since version 4.2. But in that linked topic @DavidB‌ reported it wasn't for him, so can you also try restarting 1Password mini and send us a Diagnostics Report if that doesn't fix it?

markballou

Thanks for the reply @sjk. Understand the multiple manual options you suggest, in particular that copying a password is a workaround for the lack of specificity with the fill password action. However, Watchtower is really giving us an opportunity to experience the updating password workflow, so hope you can increase the intelligence of the auto-fill & fill features of 1P. Back in my Windows days I was often surprised by how smart Roboform with form/field filling. I rarely had a misstep with it. Wonder what it did/does differently? It wasn't nearly as attractive/elegant, nor did I get the same level of support as with 1P, but it did that job well.

Hope 1P can minimize the need for these manual solutions, providing tighter automated workflows.

No joy on editing generated passwords in 1P Mini. Can insert the cursor into newly generated password, but can not type or delete. Typing just activates the 1P Mini search field.

Have tried quiting both 1P, 1P mini, Safari, repaired Permissions and have done a full system reboot.

Attached is the 1Password 4 Diagnostics Report generated at May 21, 2014 at 12:28 PM. [Removed attached report; please do not upload diagnostics reports or any personal/sensitive information to the forum. --admin] Also emailed the report to support.

Thanks!

sjk

Hi @markballou,

Thanks for your feedback about the workflow when updating passwords with 1Password. Our developers are working improvements for this.

We've received your email with the Diagnostics Report - thanks for sending that in. We'll follow up with you directly in email about the inability to edit passwords in Password Generator.

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