Feature Request: Password length ruler

nigelm · April 2011

<div class="IPBDescription">Display character number position under password</div>For banking applications in particular, a typical request for authentication is that you enter some specified characters from your password. For example:-

[code]Enter the first, ninth and thirteenth characters from your security password[/code]

This drives me mad as I count along the password characters to find the right ones.

A simple thing that would help with this would be a ruler along (ie just underneath) the password with indications of character positions - say sort ticks every 2nd character, longer ticks on every 5th character, bold ticks every 10th - or with multiples of 10 a number with the position...

Nigel.

Examinus · April 2011

Yes this would be really handy; or even support for these kind of forms.

khad · April 2011

Thanks for the suggestion, Nigel!

I'll pass this along to the developers to see if we can make logging in to those sorts of sites easier. <img src='http://forum.agile.ws/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/skype_smile.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':-)' />

Cheers,

snkhan · April 2011

[quote name='nigelm' timestamp='1302524274' post='24574']

For banking applications in particular, a typical request for authentication is that you enter some specified characters from your password. For example:-

[code]Enter the first, ninth and thirteenth characters from your security password[/code]

This drives me mad as I count along the password characters to find the right ones.

A simple thing that would help with this would be a ruler along (ie just underneath) the password with indications of character positions - say sort ticks every 2nd character, longer ticks on every 5th character, bold ticks every 10th - or with multiples of 10 a number with the position...

Nigel.

[/quote]

Yes,yes,yes! I was thinking about this very same feature the other day. Would love to see this in an upcoming update, although I suspect it's more difficult to add then we think.

khad · April 2011

I have learned in life that everything is always more difficult than I think it will be, and everything takes longer than I think it will. <img src='http://forum.agile.ws/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/skype_smile.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':-)' />

That said, we love a good challenge here at Agile. Thanks for the vote!

Haravikk · May 2011

A few sites I use have been going all overkill on security, and now require you to provide "memorable info", which they'll then ask for three random characters from.

I decided to use 1Password to generate this since I couldn't think of anything I'd be able to handle any better, however, working out the right character is a bit of a pain.

So I'm hoping 1Password could add an optional display of character numbers on some password entries. Basically this would spread out the password when you view it, and number each character so you can see at-a-glance which ones you need.

I suppose ultimately I hope these sites just abandon the idea since it's more of a pain than a benefit, but I doubt that's happening for a long time <img src='http://forum.agile.ws/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':)' />

[Deleted User] · May 2011

[quote name='Haravikk' timestamp='1305121004' post='26770']

A few sites I use have been going all overkill on security, and now require you to provide "memorable info", which they'll then ask for three random characters from.

I decided to use 1Password to generate this since I couldn't think of anything I'd be able to handle any better, however, working out the right character is a bit of a pain.

So I'm hoping 1Password could add an optional display of character numbers on some password entries. Basically this would spread out the password when you view it, and number each character so you can see at-a-glance which ones you need.

I suppose ultimately I hope these sites just abandon the idea since it's more of a pain than a benefit, but I doubt that's happening for a long time [img]http://forum.agile.ws/public/style_emoticons/default/smile.gif[/img]

[/quote]

Haravikk,

I agree that it is a pain for the sites I use that require the random character info.

There has been discussion in the Forum requesting the option you mentioned [url="http://forum.agile.ws/index.php?/topic/4324-feature-request-password-length-ruler/page__p__24574__hl__%2Bpassword+%2Bcharacter+%2Bnumber__fromsearch__1#entry24574"](Feature Request: Password length ruler)[/url]

I know AG is aware of the request, but I do not know whether the idea is under consideration for the near future. I do know that they are very busy with Lion implementation and several other issues.

For now, I created an Excel spreadsheet with each password in the first row and the character count in the second row. Then, I copied and pasted the rows into a Secure Note. I open the Secure Note before visiting the site(s) that require the random characters, and when asked, I have the "cheat sheet" ready.

Not exactly what you are asking for, but I've found it to be an adequate workaround for now.

Hope that helps.

Brandt

-- I attached a screen shot of an example of a secure note indicating the character count for a password. I don't trust "memorable" info, because it's....memorable. Like you, I use the password generator so my answers will be anything but "memorable". [img]http://forum.agile.ws/public/style_emoticons/default/smile.gif[/img] Of course, you can modify for whatever info you are asked: random letters, words, etc.--

gwaant · May 2011

I use a 1Password generated password for my Verified by Visa / Mastercard Securecode.

I currently stash these in 1Password as Wallet as notes.

I'd really like to be able to have these stored in a table, or have some way of displaying the character number (a tooltip?), so that when I'm entering the 9th, 4th and 23rd letters in the VbV/Securecode form, I don't have to count / miscount / recount the pesky characters... (I was never that good at counting ... <img src='http://forum.agile.ws/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/skype_wink.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=';-)' /> )

e.g.

[html]

mybigsecret

12345678911

01

[/html]

Thanks for the consideration ....

[Deleted User] · May 2011

[quote name='gwaant' timestamp='1306248944' post='27635']

I use a 1Password generated password for my Verified by Visa / Mastercard Securecode.

I currently stash these in 1Password as Wallet as notes.

I'd really like to be able to have these stored in a table, or have some way of displaying the character number (a tooltip?), so that when I'm entering the 9th, 4th and 23rd letters in the VbV/Securecode form, I don't have to count / miscount / recount the pesky characters... (I was never that good at counting ... [img]http://forum.agile.ws/public/style_emoticons/default/skype_wink.png[/img] )

e.g.

[html]

mybigsecret

12345678911

01

[/html]

Thanks for the consideration ....

[/quote]

Hi gwaant and welcome to the Forums!

Thanks for your suggestion and current workaround.

I couldn't agree with you more, and I use a similar workaround: [url="http://forum.agile.ws/index.php?/topic/4324-feature-request-password-length-ruler/page__view__findpost__p__26771"]Feature Request: Password Length Ruler[/url]

Several other members have made the request, and I know AG is listening. Whether a password ruler is high enough of a priority at this moment, I wouldn't think so.

With Lion on the horizon, most of the company's energy is focused on updating 1Password for Mac, their other 1P products and the Knox application.

I look forward to the ruler one day too, but with so few websites currently using the random letter/number method, for now, it appears we both have to stick with Wallet/Secure Notes.

Thanks again for posting your request.

Cheers!

Brandt

Srinivas · June 2011

Hi,

I use 1password every day and can't imagine life without it now. But i have question, i live in UK and have an account with a bank called 'Cater Allen' (http://www.caterallen.co.uk/). Their online/internet banking log in screen asks me to enter individual letters from my PAC code. For example: if my PAC code is 123456, every time i log in it randomly asks me to enter three numbers from the PAC code. First time it may ask me to enter 1st, 2nd, 3rd positioned numbers from the PAC code and second time may ask to enter 2nd, 5th, 6th positioned numbers.

Is there anyway to configure 1password to remember the PAC code and enter the numbers required by the log in screen.

Please let me know, if you want any further info or clarification.

Thanks for reading

[Deleted User] · June 2011

Hello Srinivas and welcome to the Forums!

I merged your post with the appropriate thread. As you can tell, your request has been brought up by several members, so know that you aren't alone.

At this time, there is not a way to configure 1Password to fill in randomly asked [i][b]n[/b][/i][sup][i][b]th[/b][/i][/sup] digits.

Please review this discussion for some member workarounds. They aren't perfect, but they should make it easier for you on those sites that use the random letter requests.

I'm sorry I don't have a better answer for you at this time, but your vote has been added to the tally!

Cheers!

Brandt

leejbarker · June 2011

Hi,

I am trying to set 1password to work with my Tesco banking site.

The problem I am experiencing, is that when I log in, the site only asks me for 3 characters (letters) from my full password. So say my password was 'robinhood' (which it isn't!!) and it asks for letters 2 - o 5 - n and 8 - o etc. It asks for different letters every time I log in.

Is there any way I can set 1password so that it does it stuff whenever I go to log on to this site??

Lee

[Deleted User] · June 2011

Hello Lee and welcome to the Forums!

I merged your topic with the appropriate thread.

Your question has come up before, and I know that such functionality would be useful. Unfortunately, at this time, 1Password does not have the ability to autofill random characters.

Please review the thread for some potential workarounds. None of them are what you desire, but depending on the length of your password, they may be useful.

I'm sorry that I do not have a better answer for you at this time.

Cheers!

Brandt

bk123 · July 2011

I find that many banking websites ask you to enter 3 characters of your password via three separate dropdown boxes.

E.g. Enter character 5, 2 and 9 of your password.

While I don't think it is possible for 1password to automate the entry of these passwords, it would be great if 1password at least included a way to display the number of each character next to the character.

For example if your password was: mypassword then 1password would optionally display it something like:

1: m 2: y 3: p 4: a 5: s 6: s 7: w 8: o 9: r 10: d

This would at least make it easier to quickly spot the required characters and quickly enter them.

BTW thanks for 1password, it is an awesome application.

khad · July 2011

Welcome to the forums, bk123, and thanks for the kind words!

I have passed along your vote for this to the developers. If we can be of further assistance, please let us know.

We are always here to help!

Haravikk · August 2012

I'm curious if this ever went anywhere?

It could be pretty easy to implement too, just have a button or other suitable widget near the password field, when you click it it will reveal the password, but instead of the normal behaviour it will switch the password to a monospaced font, maybe pad it a bit (to separate the characters) then display the "ruler" of small character indexes underneath. Ideally this behaviour would be saved so in future you only have to click Edit and it will switch to the ruler-mode if that's what you last set it to.

A handy alternative so that the password proper can remain hidden would be to display the ruler even for passwords that are currently hidden, but when you click on a number on the ruler it will reveal only the corresponding character (hiding any previously revealed character). So you can reveal just the character(s) you need, without sitting with the whole password revealed.

So if my memorable info were 'bananas' and I was asked for the 3rd, 4th and 7th characters then I would click the number 3 on the ruler to reveal 'n', then click the 4 to reveal 'a', then click the 7 to reveal 's'.

The main difficulty is in how to handle long passwords, especially with the single character reveal method, but this could be solved by allowing the user to drag the ruler to extend it to show the number of characters they need. If the password is hidden then it will simply show a hidden character for every space, so the length of the password is still hidden; selecting a character that isn't actually present in the password should just show up as blank.

khad · August 2012

Thanks for following up on this, Haravikk!

Since it requires an entirely new UI element (as opposed to say just adding another field when the UI for fields already exists) that ends up being the trickier part. It does seem so simple, but the simplicity of a feature is usually inversely proportional to the time and effort it takes to make it seem so simple. <img src='http://forum.agilebits.com/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':)' />

We don't normally pre-announce products (or [i]features[/i] as the case may be), so I'm not at liberty to say much more about this right now, but it is certainly still on our radar.

Feature Request: Password length ruler

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