Update copied item in second vault
For the first time I'm exploring a use case for adding a second vault to be shared with my wife, not using Team or Family accounts. As an experiment, I performed the following steps:
- Created a fresh second vault
- Copied a single item from my Primary vault to the new vault
- Switched to the new vault and confirmed that the copied item was there
- Switched back to the Primary vault, and made a minor change to the original item
- Switched back to the new vault, and confirmed that the item in the new vault did NOT change (as expected)
- Switched back to the Primary vault, and recopied the just-modified item to the second vault
At this point, I wasn't sure what to expect when I next peeked into the second vault. I was hoping that I would see a single copy of the item, now updated with the same change I made in the Primary vault. Instead, I had two nearly-identical items in the vault: the earlier one as originally copied, and a second version that included the minor change. Is this the intended behavior? Why not pop up a message, such as: "An item with that name already exists in the target vault, would you like to replace it?"
I've read your online guide that discusses the pros and cons of copying vs. moving, and will have to ponder further which approach better suits my needs (leaning towards MOVE, to avoid having to maintain multiple instances of the same item). But if one did go the COPY approach, then it looks like it could be made more efficient than Change>>Copy>>Switch Vault>>Find/Delete the old item version.
Thoughts and further insight are appreciated.
1Password Version: 6.3.1
Extension Version: Not Provided
OS Version: 10.11.6
Sync Type: Drop-box
Comments
-
Hi @mike429,
Thanks for writing in to ask us about this! Sorry if there was any confusion about how the Copy feature works.
If I understand, it sounds like you were already aware that copying an item from one vault to another creates a new item that has the same information as the original but is otherwise a completely separate item. So the surprise for you was that copying the same item a second time created another new copy instead of replacing the first copy. Indeed, that is intended behavior.
Why not pop up a message, such as: "An item with that name already exists in the target vault, would you like to replace it?"
I can see how that would be helpful in a case like this! That would probably work if you only have one item with that name in the secondary vault - but what if you had multiple items with that same name in the secondary vault? For example, let's say you have an item named "Google" in your Primary vault, and you have three different items named "Google" in the secondary vault (they could be identical, or they could be for completely separate Google accounts). When you copy the item named "Google" from the Primary vault to the secondary vault, and if 1Password were to ask if you wanted to replace one with the same name, how would it know which of the three copies to replace? And without being able to compare the data in each of those items, how would you know which one to replace?
If the secondary vault you created is going to be shared between you and your wife, it sounds like it would be easier for you to simply move the item to the secondary vault. Out of curiosity, is there a reason you want a copy of the same item in both vaults?
0 -
Drew, thanks for the quick response. Regarding the concept of replacing (with confirmation) the target item when re-copying from the primary vault, you pointed out issues related to having multiple items with the same item name. I don't see a problem here. Somehow I must believe that "under the hood" you have a unique ID for each item. Otherwise, how would you sync across devices if you had two items with the same name, and one had changed? To use your example, if I have only one Google item in the primary vault but three in the secondary vault, and I make changes to the one in the primary vault and then copy it, then the item that I want replaced in the secondary vault is the item that "corresponds" to my primary vault item (based on that unseen unique ID). This assumes that one of those three items in the secondary vault came into existence by being copied from the primary vault. If all three Google items in the secondary vault were created there from scratch, then copying my Google item from the primary vault would result in a new 4th item being added to the secondary vault. When either syncing across devices or overwriting the same item in a target vault, I would expect the software to keep things straight without the user needing to be concerned.
To your other point about usability, I am tending to agree with you that it would just be easier to MOVE rather than to COPY. But as far as a reason goes for copying, here's what your own User Guide says:
Copying an item is perfect for when you want to share a vault since the item will remain in the original vault, and a separate copy of it will be available in the other vault.
Changes you make to an item in one vault will not affect the item in another vault.
On the one hand, this requires you to copy the item again if you make changes to it in your primary vault. You will need to update it in your shared vault. On the other hand, this can be a great safety net if someone else with whom you are sharing a vault makes undesirable changes to the item in the shared vault. You will still have your own original copy in the original vault.
I think the User Guide makes some valid points, but I guess in the end I see it your way and I'll opt for the convenience of MOVE and trust the wife not to muck things up. Which brings up another thought:
==> What about being able to share a vault as "Read-only"? Allow the other person to read/copy the info, execute go-and-fill, but not be able to modify? Similar to how Apple's Calendar program works.
Thanks,
Mike0 -
Hi @mike429,
You have some great questions! I can definitely help by explaining a bit more about how this all works:
Somehow I must believe that "under the hood" you have a unique ID for each item. Otherwise, how would you sync across devices if you had two items with the same name, and one had changed?
You're absolutely correct! Each item has a UUID, and that UUID stays with that item when it is synced to another device (in this case, via Dropbox). During a sync, 1Password compares the UUID of both copies of each item (the copies in Dropbox and the copies stored locally on that device). If the UUID matches, 1Password knows to sync changes between those two copies of that item.
To use your example, if I have only one Google item in the primary vault but three in the secondary vault, and I make changes to the one in the primary vault and then copy it, then the item that I want replaced in the secondary vault is the item that "corresponds" to my primary vault item (based on that unseen unique ID).
Actually, the copy of the item you created in the secondary vault has a different UUID than the original item in the original vault. When you use the Copy feature, that creates a completely separate copy of the item with a different UUID (it's basically the same as right-clicking on an item and choosing Duplicate). The UUID only remains the same if you use one of the sync options for a vault (such as Dropbox or iCloud). But when you copy an individual item from one vault to a different vault, there is no sync taking place, only duplication of the item.
So going back to the "Google" example, it doesn't matter whether the items named "Google" in the secondary vault were created from scratch or copied there from the Primary vault - they all have different UUIDs than the one in the Primary vault. When you copy it again from Primary to secondary vault, 1Password has no way of knowing which item (if any) you want to replace in the secondary vault, because it sees them all as completely different/separate items.
...I'll opt for the convenience of MOVE and trust the wife not to muck things up. Which brings up another thought:
==> What about being able to share a vault as "Read-only"? Allow the other person to read/copy the info, execute go-and-fill, but not be able to modify? Similar to how Apple's Calendar program works.
I'm glad you asked! That's actually an option in 1Password Teams and 1Password Families accounts. Not only does Teams/Families make sharing vaults extremely easy, but it also gives you control over whether or not those you share a vault with can modify a vaults' contents.
Teams/Families accounts also give you the ability to view and restore previous versions of items. So if someone else "mucked things up" for an item, you can restore the "unmucked" version. ;)
I hope that helps, but please let us know if you have more questions! :)
0
