using Auto-Type with Symantec Encryption Desktop
Hi folks,
First off, thanks for an excellent product and for customer support which has always been knowledgeable, helpful, and friendly. This is one product that I don't mind paying for - and I can't say that about many other software products.
I have a somewhat specialized question - not sure if there's a great answer for this. I use Symantec Encryption Desktop v10.3.2 to encrypt important files prior to backing them up. This product has the option to use PGP keys, but I often instead use an option called "Create Self-Decrypting Archive," with a fairly long passphrase for security.
And therein lies the question. It would be great to use the Auto-Type feature of 1Password to type in that long passphrase (simply cutting and pasting it does not work, because Symantec Encryption Desktop prevents that). However, when I try to use Auto-Type to do this, it doesn't seem to work - the Symantec product reverts to a screen in its PGP Zip Assistant tab on which it asks whether one wants to create a PGP Self-Decrypting Archive vs. another option... and when one presses "Next," one lands right back on the "Create passphrase" screen in which one had attempted to use Auto-Type.
I realize this is a very specific product that probably isn't part of your test suite, so maybe there's just no way around this, but any thoughts would be helpful.
Thanks in advance!
1Password Version: 4.6.2.625
Extension Version: 4.6.9
OS Version: Windows 10
Sync Type: Dropbox
Referrer: forum-search:autotype
Comments
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Hey @AgileForum1! First off, thank you so much for your kind words! We really do try to stand out by having these one-on-one conversations and I'm delighted our team has been so great. :blush: We love talking with y'all and it's great to hear that's appreciated. :chuffed:
That's definitely quite the specific use-case, but I can totally see why you'd really want to use auto-type here. Auto-type uses Windows to emulate keyboard events, but with a program focused on desktop security in the mix, there are any number of reasons it might be prevented from working. If Symantec Encryption Desktop is running in an elevated state or otherwise segregating itself from the rest of your system (think secure desktop), or even just blocking foreign keystrokes, it may not work. You're right that I, at least, am not familiar with this specific Symantec product, so I won't be of much use with tweaking things, but I hope understanding a bit more about how auto-type works under the hood might give you some ideas of things to try. :+1:
Of course, if you have any other questions where we might be of help, feel free to ask. Even if we don't have an exact answer, maybe we can shed some light on things to help spark ideas. :chuffed:
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Thanks much, @bundtkate! I had a feeling that this specific use-case probably wouldn't be solvable on your end, or would be too particular to really assess, but appreciate your outlining how Auto-type works. I may give autohotkey a try and see if it can work for this. Thanks again for the reply on a Sunday!
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It's no problem, @AgileForum1! For what it's worth, I love autohotkey, but I'd not be surprised if it works similarly to auto-type. Just be mindful of where and how those AHK scripts are saved too. Don't want those passphrases in plain text anywhere. Given you're looking for a way to unlock an encrypted archive, though, I'd bet you're on top of such things without my help. :wink:
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