Edit in floating window causes 1Password 7 App to foreground and top

rodd_zurcher

When I choose Edit on a 1password entry in the floating mini/extension window; it converts to edit but also brings 1password application to the foreground and on top.

I much prefer the 1Password 6 behavior of never seeing 1password app. In fact with 6 I rarely ever opened the application itself and solely interacted with extension or mini.

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1Password Version: 7.0.BETA-10
Extension Version: 4.7.1.4 (chrome)
OS Version: 10.13.4
Sync Type: local

AGAlumB

When I choose Edit on a 1password entry in the floating mini/extension window; it converts to edit but also brings 1password application to the foreground and on top.

@rodd_zurcher: Hmm. I'm not seeing that here, but if I did I think I wouldn't like it either...

I much prefer the 1Password 6 behavior of never seeing 1password app. In fact with 6 I rarely ever opened the application itself and solely interacted with extension or mini.

That's how it should work, so I'm wondering why it's different for you than it is for me. Do you have the main 1Password window open already when this happens, and it simply comes to the front? Or something else?

Claudi

@brenty Chiming in because I’m seeing the same issue, and it’s 100 % reproducible on my system.

My habit is to ⌘H (hide) apps I’m not using at a particular moment. Whenever I hide the 1Password app that way, clicking on the browser extension icon will always reveal the 1Password app window in front of the browser. At the same time, the mini window will be revealed in front of that.

Screenshot

It looks like this:

Steps to reproduce

Here are the steps to reproduce the issue on my system (macOS 10.12.6, 1Password 7.0.1, Chrome 66, extension version 4.7.1.90):

1. Open 1Password 7.
2. Press ⌘H. Alternatively, click on the menu item 1Password 7 » Hide 1Password 7.
3. Open Google Chrome.
4. Click on the icon of the 1Password browser extension.

Expected behavior: The 1Password mini window pops up in front of the browser window.
Actual behavior: see description and screenshot above.

Please let me know if you need any additional info to help reproduce this. Looking forward very much to getting this fixed.

Thanks in advance!

AGAlumB

@Claudi: Thank you for clarifying. That's expected behaviour of any macOS app when you switch to it with windows hidden: they appear. Example: open a bunch of Safari windows. Hide Safari. Right-click Safari and open a new Safari window. All Safari windows appear. There isn't as far as I know, a way around this; it's fundamental to how macOS handles windowing. When you open 1Password mini with another 1Password window open and hidden, it focuses 1Password, which unhides the window. If you don't want this to happen, you can close the main 1Password window instead of hiding it. There is no benefit to hiding it; 1Password is still running, so it will come up just as quickly anyway.

Claudi

[…] it's fundamental to how macOS handles windowing. When you open 1Password mini with another 1Password window open and hidden, it focuses 1Password, which unhides the window.

Why would clicking on the browser extension cause the 1Password main app to be activated? With 1Password 4, 5, and 6, the mini overlay simply used to appear on top of the browser page, without focusing anything.

There is no benefit to hiding it; 1Password is still running, so it will come up just as quickly anyway.

This is not correct. If I close the main 1Password window before using my browser, 1Password 7 does nothing after I press ⌘⇥ to get back to it. To get back to where I was, I would need to click Window → 1Password manually, then maximize the new main app window, re-set my filters, and scroll to where I was. Sorry but this would completely kill my workflow. :'(

Is there any (official or undocumented) option to re-enable spacebar heating just the mini popup over the browser?

(Edit: typo)

AGAlumB

Why would clicking on the browser extension cause the 1Password main app to be activated? With 1Password 4, 5, and 6, the mini overlay simply used to appear on top of the browser page, without focusing anything.

@Claudi: Good question! The answer, of course, is that earlier versions of 1Password involved separate apps. 1Password 7 unifies this. You may have been vaguely aware of this if you ever encountered "wrong version of mini", "cannot connect to mini", "wrong version of mini", or similar messages. There are other benefits as well, but user-facing, not having to deal with those issues is the main one for the change.

This is not correct. If I close the main 1Password window before using my browser, 1Password 7 does nothing after I press ⌘⇥ to get back to it. To get back to where I was, I would need to click Window → 1Password manually, then maximize the new main app window, re-set my filters, and scroll to where I was. Sorry but this would completely kill my workflow. :'(

I guess I've never encountered a workflow quite like that. First, I don't know anyone who maximizes 1Password. With regard to size, we mainly get complaints that it isn't small enough! Can you tell me more about this? Maybe an example. It's certainly something we can consider. Personally, I use 1Password mini almost exclusively now that it's more powerful. I'd be interested in an opposite take.

Is there any (official or undocumented) option to re-enable just the mini popup over the browser?

As these are just separate windows of the same app, the only way to not have macOS bring both to the front when switching to either is by closing the main 1Password window. I'm sorry that's the only news I have for you right now.

Claudi

Can you tell me more about this? Maybe an example. It's certainly something we can consider.

1. Maximizing windows eliminates distractions (wallpapers! desktop icons! labels! other windows! drop shadows!), which is important to me for getting work done.
2. People are complaining that the desktop app isn't small enough? I can see how people would prefer a small window if they only have login items with username and password. However, if you go beyond login items, it’s a whole different situation. Look at the complexity of 1Password’s templates (e. g. servers or software licenses). Making the window smaller would mean you need to scroll needlessly, which is a huge cognitive load compared to a full, maximized view. 1Password is not an egg timer widget. People work with Office maximized all the time. I spend more time in 1Password than with Office.
3. Even if I would swallow the pill and use a smaller window from now on, this is how 1Password’s main window looks like for me when it’s not maximized:

Being unable to distinguish login items on 1password.com is already bad enough. I’d feel really hindered if 1Password were to force the same thing on me with the desktop app from now on.

Look, I wouldn’t complain if a feature was broken that I’d use once a week. Clicking on the browser extension for web logins is a major use case. I log into websites dozens of times per day, only that it suddenly comes with a ball and chain I can’t do anything against. Please take my thoughts into consideration. I’m running out of ideas how to work around this issue.

AGAlumB

@Claudi: Thanks for your reply! I really appreciate your unique (at least in the other version 7 feedback we've been getting so far) perspective. It definitely helps to have the alternate point of view, from someone using "big" 1Password extensively. We'll absolutely take your feedback into account as well as we continue iterating on the design.

Being unable to distinguish login items on 1password.com is already bad enough. I’d feel really hindered if 1Password were to force the same thing on me with the desktop app from now on.

Can you clarify this though? It sounds like the 1Password.com angle might offer a good example. Let me know.

atmospherical

I'd like to chime in on the annoyance this change has caused me as well. (BTW - I freaking love 1Password, so this is nit-picky, but it does slow me down quite a bit.)

Since I don't just use 1Password for website logins (TeamViewer, Windows RDC, etc...) I am frequently bouncing back and forth between invoking the extension and using the main app window to copy/paste credentials into non-browser apps. Also, for security reasons (often working at clients' offices where non-trusted people may be wandering about) I want to be able to close the window and *lock 1Password for security reasons, but *only when I'm walking away for a bit (bathroom, lunch, track down someone for a question).

So... the "close the main window" to keep the app from coming into focus when invoking the extension isn't really practical. It means I end up re-entering a non-trivial (30-character) main password to re-unlock 1Password far more times than was previously necessary.

I totally get the reason for the change - w/ multiple boot partitions, I have occasionally encountered the stall when pulling a new rev from the App Store and launching it got it all confused about multiple installs. However, if there's any other way around this, I'm all ears - or would encourage you to tweak the behavior a bit with this in mind.

AGAlumB

@atmospherical: Not a problem. We always appreciate constructive criticism! :chuffed:

I have to say though that I'm not certain I understand your comments regarding logins and locking. For example, have you tried copying and pasting from 1Password mini instead of leaving the main window open? Also, it sounds like you're saying both that you want 1Password to lock more frequently, but also that it's a pain to have to unlock it each time too. I'm not sure how to reconcile those two things, but I'm probably misunderstanding. Can you elaborate on what you're trying to do? We'll see what we can come up with. :)

sethhitch

I also find this behavior tremendously disruptive. I always have the 1Password app running - I use it to manage credentials that I use outside of the browser, for example database passwords. Here's what my typical interaction is like as of upgrading to 1Password 7:

1. In Chrome, with the main app running but hidden (cmd-h), click on the 1Password icon to invoke mini.
2. The mini window comes up, and at the same time the main window comes up in between the browser window and mini.
3. Choose a login in mini. The mini window dismisses, but the main window remains on top of the browser window. Note, however, that the browser remains the foreground application. This means that cmd-tab doesn't switch to the browser, it switches away from the browser. I need to cmd-tab a second time to get the browser window back on top of the main 1Password window.

If 1Password is running and the main window isn't hidden, there's no problem, it stays where it was. I habitually hide the window because I don't need it, I just want it running for when I do need it.

AGAlumB

If 1Password is running and the main window isn't hidden, there's no problem, it stays where it was. I habitually hide the window because I don't need it, I just want it running for when I do need it.

@sethhitch: That's your problem. Close it. 1Password is running in the background anyway. That's why when you switch to 1Password again it unhides the window. Two birds with one stone, as they say. :)

sethhitch

I can do that, it's just not how I use Mac apps. Apps that I use regularly throughout the day I leave running - 1Password, Evernote, Slack, Chrome, etc. That way everything I need is always just a ⌘-tab away at any time.

AGAlumB

I hear you. And certainly many of us were used to keeping the 1Password window open all the time to make it speedy to get to. But that isn't necessary anymore, and seems to be having an undesirable side effect for you. I find that opening 1Password via Spotlight is much faster than ⌘-tabbing through all the (many) other apps I have open at any given time.

samsonjs

When I invoke the browser extension the 1Password window comes to the foreground as well now, and when I'm done my browser (Safari) is still the active window but 1Password's main window is sitting in front of the Safari window, so I have to switch to 1Password and hide it then continue browsing. It's really disruptive and after months of annoyance I've just gone back to 1Password 6. Please fix this as 1Password 7 is unusable for me. I've been using and advocating it for several years and I love it, but this is a really rough bug/behaviour.

AGAlumB

@samsonjs: It sounds like you have the main 1Password window open but don't want it open. macOS can't help but switch to the app when you invoke it, so it's better to keep the window closed if you don't want to see it. 1Password will still run in the background so you can use it in your browser. ;)

samsonjs

@brenty Thank you! I can learn to close the main window when I'm done with it and that indeed makes it usable for me. I'd been waiting for a fix/change because when I first upgraded and asked here it seemed like this wasn't intended behaviour and was being worked on. Thanks again, super helpful tip!

AGAlumB

Sure thing. I'm sorry for the confusion there. Indeed, this is expected since in version 7 1Password is a single app. Glad that workaround helps. :)

Claudi

Can you clarify this though? It sounds like the 1Password.com angle might offer a good example. Let me know.

Sorry @brenty if my words were a bit confusing. What I meant to say is: I absolutely need the desktop app maximized. If it’s smaller, the list of items becomes too narrow.

Please look at the screenshot of the non-maximized desktop app I posted earlier. Note that the individual items become indistinguishable because the title is not fully displayed.

The reason I mentioned 1Password.com is that 1Password.com is already unusable for me because the width of the list of items can’t be changed. Therefore, the desktop app remains my only usable option, and I really really need it. If I stopped maximizing it per your suggestion, it’d become unusable for me, too!

Claudi

@brenty I’ve tried to cope with the new behavior during the last months but I’m still really really unhappy with this behavior in 1Password 7.

The thing is that I need that desktop app opened, and I need that document window opened. I need the window for copy/pasting passwords to some GUI apps several times per hour.

I’m desperate enough that I’m seriously considering taking a week off to write myself a kext which forcibly brings back the old behavior from 1Password 6. (I’m reluctant to do that because I don’t own a kext signing certificate and I’d prefer to leave SIP enabled.)

Is there not even a viable workaround?

ag_kevin

Hi @Claudi ,

I certainly understand how this can be frustrating and distracting to your workflow. Right now the current workaround is to close the window instead of hide it. But make no mistake, will be looking for a solution to this. I can't promise when this will happen, but I can promise you that we want to and are looking into fixing it.

Regards,
Kevin

Claudi

Hi @ag_kevin,

It seems like a fix has made it into the latest Mac version, 7.2.4:

Fixed an issue where 1Password would not unhide when Command-Tabbing it to the front. {apple-issues#2348}

So happy to see this fixed! Thank you so much for taking care of it. The fix has fully restored the user experience for me.

Regards,
Claudia

AGAlumB

Thanks for taking the time to follow up. I'm glad we were able to find a workaround that helped. Happy New Year! :)