Using password generator to fill a password update form (usually) loses the new password.
I love this product. I have very few issues with it, and it typically works just as I expect. Using the 1P generator to update passwords though typically causes problems.
I use 1P for Mac, primarily with the Chrome extension. It seems to do a pretty good job at detecting sign-up or sign-in forms and capturing new or updated login credentials. When I use the password generator though, I typically have problems. In my experience, 1P commonly does not catch password update forms as well, and so if I use the 'fill' button from the generator, the password gets entered and updated, but then 1P usually does not catch that the password has been updated. (Maybe this happens more often just when the fill button is used, rather than a manual submit?) In either case, when that happens, my new password is useless. It has not been saved in 1P, is not in my clipboard, and I don't have it memorized. Which means what should've been a simple process gets drawn out into needing to trigger a password reset process and go through all the steps again. I sometimes anticipate that behavior now and so I'll just copy a generated password to my clipboard instead of letting 1P fill it. Then I can go and manually update my 1P login info after I update my password. But clearly this is not the ideal or intended flow. I would love to see this feature improved so that I can actually trust it enough to use. Even if 1P could hold onto the generated password temporarily if it has been 'filled', that would be a helpful fallback. And if someone is using the fill functionality from the generator in a browser, maybe 1P could be smart enough to detect what site the person is on and offer to update the login/password, even if it doesn't catch the password update form being submitted.
Looking forward to seeing all the continued improvements you guys come up with. 1P is one of the products that I fervently recommend to anyone that will listen.
Thanks,
Jeff
1Password Version: 5.3.2
Extension Version: 4.4.3.90
OS Version: 10.10.5
Sync Type: Dropbox
Referrer: kb-search:update password, kb:change-website-password
Comments
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Hi @jfrench,
I think part of what we're doing wrong here is we don't advertise well enough what happens when you click the Fill button.
What should happen is we realise we're on a change password page and when you submit we ask if you want to update your Login item. That's what you expect to happen and actually it's what the code should do. We are aware of a couple of different bugs relating to when we ask if you want to save something in 1Password though. One is addressed in the current 1Password Browser Extension beta and that one is specific to change password forms. So if you were to remove the stable and download the beta you might find it works better for you. That change will eventually make it into the stable of course if you prefer to wait.
Now the bit we're not advertising well though is we are saving any password you use so that no matter what happens, there is a record of it available. Relying on the extension working perfectly is just a bit too bold given what these passwords represent and some people do use the Password Generator for more than just web pages. So any time you request that the Password Generator fills or you copy the generated password we create a Password item in your vault. When you do this for a web page with our extension installed in the browser we set the title of the Password item to the domain of the web page e.g. Amazon and we also record the URL where you used the password. If you then save or update an existing Login item from your browser and it is with the same password as in a Password item we convert the Password item into a Login item, basically tidying up behind us. If this doesn't happen though the Password item is kept in your vault so that if you ever need it.
There are a few ways to access the Password item. If you have any Password items in your vault you should see a Passwords category visible in the Sidebar of the main window. The items are also accessible inside of 1Password mini although we are aware of another bug where it won't ask if you want to save if you fill using a Password item - this one is ongoing and we need to sort it out.
Does this help at all?
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Thanks @littlebobbytables - yes, knowing that those generated passwords are saved in the Passwords category does help. I don't update passwords enough that I'll rush to switch to the beta extension, but I'll look for these usability updates in a stable release soon.
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@jfrench, on behalf of littlebobbytables, you're very welcome!
In case it helps, I wanted to mention that there's another workaround you can use while waiting for the fix: Instead of clicking the Fill button in the password generator, you can highlight the generated password and then copy & paste it into the change password form. When you submit that form, 1Password should prompt you to update the Login item.
I apologize for the inconvenience! If you need anything else, please let us know - we're always happy to help. :)
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Hi. I have been having the same issue as @jfrench. As a precaution, I always copy the password to the clipboard before clicking Fill on the Password Generator. Would love to see this ironed out, too.
I am a huge 1P fan - I tell everyone about it - especially the computer illiterate ones...
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Greetings @bill_l,
There is a way to have 1Password copy the password to the clipboard when you click the Fill button. The following image should help.
Of course we still want to have 1Password properly ask to save passwords but while we work improving 1Password's behaviour in this area hopefully the automatic creation of Password items and the ability to copy to the OS X clipboard when filling helps.
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Good to know! Thank you.
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:smile: and hopefully we'll have a better recognition of when to save at some point too.
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