Modifiable Username Prompt

[tanstaafl]

Ok, here's my updated/simplified request for a 'Modifiable 'Username' Prompt' option:

Add a new checkbox option for both the 'Username' and 'Modifier' fields:
[ ] Prompt for 'Username' modification
[ ] Prompt for 'Modifier' modification

Changes to 'Master Password Prompt' window:
(describes the affects of this new option and how it would be used)

1. If either of the new Options above are checked, the 'Master Password Prompt' window should include the field(s) for which the option is checked, in editable mode.

2. If the User has opted to save the Master Password, then this/these would be the only thing being prompted for. If there is anything in the first one (if both are checked), it should already be selected/highlighted with cursor focus. This way, the user can either simply hit 'Enter' to accept the default, or just start typing to replace it with something else - then Tabbing to the next field if appropriate.

3. If the User has not opted to Save the Master Password, then initial cursor focus should be the Master Password field, but if the 'Username' field is tabbed into (the User hits 'Tab' instead of 'Enter' after the Master Password is entered), the contents should automatically be selected/highlighted, so the User can simply start typing the new/different username he wants to use - same for the 'Modifier' field if it is tabbed into.

4. If the either Username (or Modifier) is typo'd resulting in a bad password, PM should catch this error, and re-prompt for the Username again - if this is possible (if difficult to implement, it could wait, as the user could simply hit Alt-~ again).

5. If/when Username auto-populate is implemented, it is the *final* Username (the one that is/could have been modified) that should be populated, not the pre-defined one, *and* that should be used to calculate the password.

6. Once the above functionality is completed, 'Using URL' should display uneditable in both the 'Advanced' and 'Basic' Options windows.

Examples of the advantages of this functionality:

1. I manage passwords/Accounts for 40+ users at xyz.com domain. If I check the option to Prompt for the Username - in the Defaults, or if I only want this behavior on this Account, in the Account Specific Settings - I can enter a different username and/or modifier on the fly.

2. I have a lot of small, occasional use accounts at different domains, some of which have different usernames, but many of which have the same one. I just use the Defaults for these so I don't need to set up a specific Account for each one. If I check the option in the Defaults to prompt for the username and/or modifier, I can either simply hit enter to accept the Default username/modifier, or type the new username and/or modifier then hit enter.

[Tyrantmizar]

Got it.

[Eric H. Jung]

It's an awful lot of effort to implement for the sake of preventing you from having to define many accounts for domain xyz.com. Before I commit to this, what if you had the ability to clone/copy accounts? There is a feature request (with some votes, too) for this already. If you cloned/copied a "template" account -- one which has all the settings you need except username -- all you'd then have to do is modify the username field for each. This could be done directly on the tree, too, if I enable edits in the accounts-tree grid. IOW, you wouldn't have to open the Account-Settings dialog box 30 times.

What do you think?

[tanstaafl]

I really look forward to the 'Clone Account' and 'New Accounts inherit Defaults' being implemented, and they will be very useful for me, but...

it wouldn't solve this particular problem. If I were to use it as a workaround for this request, it would result in having a whole lot of accounts that I don't need...

Consider...

I manage accounts for over 30 users at one domain, and @ 20 at another. This would mean over 50 accounts just for these two domains, as opposed to *none* (just being able to use the Defaults settings).

I'm confused though... this should be *much* less work than my prior request, which you had already said was doable. I actually thought you'd be ecstatic that I'd abandoned the idea of (a) new field(s) to contend with.  ;)

Which part is the majority of the work? Since this uses the 'Username' field, there is no new field to create or work with. It's mainly just adding the Username field to the Master Password Prompt window, then the code to manage cursor focus.

The only thing that I can see that might be a lot more work than someone like me (non-programmer) might think is item 4, and as I said, this can wait - and it wouldn't kill me if it was never implemented.

Of course, being that I *am* a non-programmer, I may be completely missing *why* what I'm asking for is so non-trivial...

Could you elaborate a little on which part(s) of this are the hardest? Maybe we could come up with a simpler way that I could live with...

Thanks again for all your hard work Eric!

[tanstaafl]

Hi Eric,

I never saw a reply to this...

Please excuse my ignorance, but what exactly is the 'awful lot of effort' involved? Did you read my modified request? Now it is about simply adding the existing field (username) to the password prompt pop-up, making it modifiable, and managing the cursor focus as described.

Of course, I am not a programmer, and maybe the cursor focus stuff is difficult to code, but I really don't see why this would be so much work - certainly *nothing* compared to my original request... ;) I could live without the cursor focus stuff until later too (that would just be gravy).

Seriously, the only reason I am bringing this up again is this feature would make *almost* as much difference for me using PM now as PM itself has made for me since I discovered it...

[Eric H. Jung]

OK, I can do this. I just don't know if it's the right direction for PasswordMaker, but time will tell.

[quixin]

tanstaafl,  Please tell me if I understand this correctly.  In a nutshell it seems to me like your major goal is to be able to have multiple usernames managed under one account.  Rather than making multiple accounts with all the same settings other than the username?  If thats the case, maybe with a little discussion, the Eric can find the most simple and time effect way to implement.

Is there going on here than I realize?  If its changing drastically the way PWM is used to the everyday user, especially those that are not computer savvy, maybe add it as a new 'View' (ie. Basic Options, Advanced Options, Extremely Complicated Options). :)

[Romeo]

The way I see it is that tanstaafl would like to be able to set up one account and have an option to make it prompt him for a username, when the user, him in this case, goes to that URL.

In other words, suppose he were to manage mail.xyz.com.  When he goes to xyz.com, it would prompt him for a username and then populate the password with the password with the username hashed in.

[tanstaafl]

Hi Eric,

I'm not sure what you mean by 'direction' - it isn't changing the way PM works in any substantial way, although it is *expanding* it somewhat. It is just an *option* that seems (to me) to be easy to implement that will make my day job (our company requires me to assign and manage the passwords for all 40 of our Users) a *lot* easier.

It will dramatically reduce the number of 'accounts' I have to manually create in PM, and just let me use the Defaults, which to me is simpler, and I like simple.

Quixin: Yes  -  but I thought that my Request was a fairly non-intrusive way to implement it. Unless someone checked the option, it wouldn't change *anything*. Checking the option only adds one field to the Master Password PRompt pop-up. I'm not saying this change would be *easy* - being a tech but a non-programmer, I do understand that some things that on their face might *appear* to be easy to program are actually quite complex - and even vice-versa. Thats said - it does appear to me that this would be a fairly easy thing to implement.

Romeo: Precisely.

Say I have 5 Username variations (sometimes the username I want to use is taken) that I use for different things. Rather than having to create an account for each username, I simply elect to use the Defaults, and have to enter (or change, if I have entered a default Username in Defaults) the Username as well as the Master Password (or just the Username if I have elected to save the Master Password in memory or on disk).

This doesn't really change the way PM works, it *expands* it. It very *easily* provides an alternate way of working with multiple Usernames/Sites. If I have 10 Gmail accounts, I can just use the 'Defaults' account in PM for all 10 without having to create a separate account for each one in PM.

I thought I described this all in detail in the original Request - guess I need to work on my communication skills some more... ;)

[tanstaafl]

Maybe it's time to re-read the original request?

[quixin]

I'm beginning to understand this now.  Maybe it is your communication, then again maybe its my comprehending.  In all honestly, I can now understand how this can simplify how people like yourself interact with PWM and your accounts.  It sounds like it could make PasswordMaker much powerful dealing with multiple (multiple multiple in your case) accounts.  I think I am now on board with this feature.

quxin

[Eric H. Jung]

FWIW, I've always understood the request. What I meant by "direction" was this request easily becoming a "slippery slope"; i.e., "but now I want modifier on the prompt" And later someone else needs character set, preffix, suffix, password length... you get the idea.

But slippery or not, I'm down with it. It will be done.

However, I'd like Romeo's input on when he wants the "hide accounts tab" feature since we're talking about special requests here. That was his special request which I promised long before I promised this one.

Romeo?

[tanstaafl]

FWIW, I've always understood the request. What I meant by "direction" was this request easily becoming a "slippery slope"; i.e., "but now I want modifier on the prompt" And later someone else needs character set, preffix, suffix, password length... you get the idea.

Ah.. ok, yes I see what you mean... well, I promise *I* won't be the one asking for any of that!

But slippery or not, I'm down with it. It will be done.

Did I tell you you were my hero? ;)

However, I'd like Romeo's input on when he wants the "hide accounts tab" feature since we're talking about special requests here. That was his special request which I promised long before I promised this one.

More than fair...

Eric, you have been more than accomodating... as long as you say it will be done, I will just bask in the glow of the comforting knowledge that it will be done, and await the happy day in anticipation.

Many thanks for all your hard work!

[Eric H. Jung]

Prompt for 'Username' modification

This is done and will be in the next release. I didn't implement it precisely how you requested. IMHO, this is "one-off" feature which very few people will use. Even if you don't agree with that statement, I'm sure you'll agree it's an advanced feature that is likely to confuse new users. We have so much confusion with new users currently that I'm hestitant to add more things which might add to that.

So here's what I've done:

The Choose Account dialog initially displays as usual:



If you press the Alt-` key or just `, an easter egg is revealed:



The correct username (the one your selected or the one you typed) is displayed in the statusbar tooltip. In a future release, I'll add the ability to have the easter egg displayed by default by either manually editing passwordmaker.rdf or with another hidden field in the Global Settings tab.

I spent a lot of time trying to give this field focus after it's been revealed, but wasn't successful. I'll have to revisit that.

-Eric

[tanstaafl]

This is done and will be in the next release. I didn't implement it precisely how you requested. IMHO, this is "one-off" feature which very few people will use. Even if you don't agree with that statement, I'm sure you'll agree it's an advanced feature that is likely to confuse new users. We have so much confusion with new users currently that I'm hestitant to add more things which might add to that.

I totally agree... and that said, did I mention that there will be dancing in the streets tonight?!

So here's what I've done:

The Choose Account dialog initially displays as usual:



If you press the Alt-` key or just `, an easter egg is revealed:

Ok, but a question... how does this look/work if there is only one account, and it isn't the 'Choose Account' dialog that comes up, but the MPW prompt?

The correct username (the one your selected or the one you typed) is displayed in the statusbar tooltip. In a future release, I'll add the ability to have the easter egg displayed by default by either manually editing passwordmaker.rdf or with another hidden field in the Global Settings tab.

Sounds great!

One more question...

If I change the username on the fly in this prompt, is the generated Password the same as if I had an account set up with that username entered in the username field? I mean, is the username entered on the fly used in the password calculations the same as the username in a custom account is used now?

I spent a lot of time trying to give this field focus after it's been revealed, but wasn't successful. I'll have to revisit that.

No worries - it would/will be nice if you can figure it out, but I'm certainly not complaining! Many, many thanks Eric for all of your hard work...

Do you need any help testing this?

Charles