Scripting menu selection in programs

[schleyer]

Hi,

 

I recently adopted 1Password as my password manager. As a heavy Macro Express user, I am trying to create a menu that lets me access all my logins in 1Password with one click or keystroke. The key question is how to use the list of stored logins in 1Password effectively in Macro Express. The attached window snapshot shows the 1Password application with its list of logins. Of course, this list grows as logins are added. Also, it reorders based on the alphabetical position of a new item in the list.

 

Ideally, I would love Macro Express use the list of logins as it changes over time. So, the ideal scenario: (1) press a hotkey to bring up Macro Express macro displaying the current list of 1Password logins. (2) Click on the desired item or access through keyboard shortcut.

 

I am not sure whether the capabilities of Macro Express are such that it could control 1Password to that degree.

 

A step down from that would be to create the login in 1Password, and then hardwire a new line in the Macro Express macro to that entry.

 

1Password uses a JSON structure to save information about the logins (see https://discussions.agilebits.com/discussion/21547/uuid-json).Not sure whether this is useful in this discussion.

 

Thanks for any help you can provide!

 

Titus

 

[Cory]

I'm not familiar with 1Password so I'm not going to be much help. But I will toss out a few thoughts.

 

You might consider LastPass. I use it and it has a built in feature to auto-fill not just web browser logins but applications as well is you install the desktop app. EG if I'm logging into Skype I click the system tray icon, select "Fill Application" and point it at the application. It works exactly like I would make a Macro Express macro using the controls feature. EG I use LastPass and I have never found a case where I could have made a macro to do it better.

 

If I were going to make a macro with MEP I would export the data from LastPass and use the ASCII File Process command. I've actually looked into this. But in your case the export format is JSON and MEP doesn't support that natively. I would actually write an application to convert from JSON to CSV.

 

If you do create and maintain a text file with all your passwords it will be un-encrypted and you have defeated the whole security of a password manager.

 

LastPass has an import and export feature if you wanted to switch.

 

In this case it might be best to get the right app as opposed to writing macros to make your app do what you want.

 

As an aside LastPass also has an app for smartphones that will auto-fill browser and app authentication prompts. But you have to do the paid version for this feature. But it's inexpensive and well worth it.

[schleyer]

Hi Cory,

 

Thanks for your quick reply and the good advice. Didn't solve my problem, but I figured it wasn't easy to solve. Without widespread use of standard APIs, that kind of application interoperability is hard to get to. I did look at the command line access to Lastpass, but it did not seem to accommodate a call like "Open the login with title 'X'". For now, I am simply invoking 1Password from a Macro and need to double-click on an entry to open it. Slightly more work than I intended to do, but workable.

 

Thanks again!

 

Titus