Switchers' Blog

Chrome tip: our 1Password alpha extension updates itself!

We've had a bunch of great feedback in our Chrome extension forum from 1Password users willing to help us test our alpha Chrome extension—thanks folks!

For those just tuning in: yes, we have an alpha version of a 1Password extension for Google Chrome that you can help us test. This blog post has instructions for getting setup and where to post feedback. Just keep in mind: it's an alpha, so it is nowhere near feature-complete, and it can be rough around the edges (sometimes rougher than a beta!).

Since releasing out alpha Chrome extension for testing, we've had some questions about how to get the latest and greatest version. To help clear things up, here is an answer that I think will please everyone: Chrome automatically gives you the latest and greatest version! Chrome auto-updates its extensions, and we made sure that our alpha extension works with that system.

According to a Google Chrome support document, "extensions automatically update whenever an update is available." So you should be all set!

Thanks for helping us test our alpha extension for Google Chrome, and be sure to leave feedback in our Chrome extension forum and check out Chrome extension changelog for a list of fixes and new features!

Google Chrome beta for Mac gained extensions, and we're on it!

Good news, everyone! Google has just released a major update to Chrome for Mac with the feature we've all been waiting for: a new icon!

No, a redesigned back button! Er, more scrolly scrollbars?

Wait, that can't be right... oh yes! Extension support! You can now grab a copy or read more about this release on Google's Chrome Blog.

Rest assured, we're just as excited about extensions in Google Chrome for Mac as you are! To celebrate this release, we've locked our developers in our dungeon "basement" to "motivate" them to bring a much-updated version of our alpha 1Password extension for Chrome. In the meantime, for those who upgrade right away, some early testing shows that our extension works in the new Chrome beta. So if you just can't wait, and if you're ok with using unfinished software, you can help us test our 1Password alpha extension in the new Google Chrome for Mac beta right now.

I don't have an ETA to share just yet on when we'll have a major Chrome extension update for you. These things can take time, so we appreciate your patience! But I can tell you that we're crackin' our whips on our developers. As soon as we have something for you, you'll hear about it on our @1Password Twitter account and here on the blog!

A 1Password alpha for Chromium is here

You've shown your support for 1Password in Chrome by emailing, posting in our forums, tweeting, Facebook poking, shipping sacrificial lambs (tip: FedEx is much more lamb-friendly than UPS), offering first-borns, and even a really good pie. We really appreciate all the love everyone, and I'm happy to say that we can finally return some to you.

We now have an alpha 1Password extension ready for testing in Chrome.

Please read this important stuff

Before we get down to business, I have to emphasize that this is an alpha, a term with origins in the Greek "álpha," which meant "extremely early in the development phase, with very little polish, and many nonexistent and unfinished features." Yes, even the ancient Greeks alpha-tested software, usually so the gods didn't have to. It's true! Look it up¹.

We're so early in the development phase for our Chrome extension that the main feedback we're soliciting at this point is "yay 1Password works in Chrome!" or "it doesn't even work." Right now, the only features that (are supposed to) work are unlocking 1Password and filling simple login forms (in other words: 1Password can fill usernames and passwords into a number of sites in Chrome, but we know that plenty don't work yet). Don't forget: this is an alpha feature for a beta developer platform. If you decide to help us test the Chrome extension, please leave feedback about these features in our new Chrome forum. You can email us too, but those queries are not as high of a priority for our support staff right now since we're in alpha, and are likely to be for at least a few weeks. You are much more likely to receive a faster response in the forums, so we encourage you to post feedback there.

Enough silly talk! Give me 1Password for Chrome!

Fortunately, helping us to test the 1Password extension in Chrome is pretty simple. We posted instructions in our alpha announcement thread, and they go a little somethin' like this:

1. Make sure you have at least 1Password 3.0.4 installed. It just came out yesterday.
2. Install the developer build of Chrome or the latest Chromium. The latest developer version is required to have the needed extensions support.
3. Enter this URL into Chrome's address bar: http://agile.ws/s/a330894b8 and install the extension from the notification that should appear at the bottom of Chrome's window.

It's a small start, but with all the requests we've had, we wanted to get you something sooner instead of later. We hope you enjoy testing this early alpha 1Password extension in Chrome, and don't forget to leave feedback in our Chrome forum. You can comment here too, but our forum is the best place if you want both the Agile staff and 1Password community to chime in.

Enjoy!

Extension not installing? Here are some tips

• If you've been running the Chrome beta, you may have to delete your existing Chrome support folder before trying to install the extension. I know I had to, and you can find this folder in ~/Library/Application Support/Google/Chrome (where "~" is your Home user folder). This means your bookmarks, browsing history, open tabs, and other settings will also be lost. Such is the fast-paced life of living on the edge. The next time your start Chrome, you can use the Chrome > Import Bookmarks and Settings option to re-import all your stuff from either Safari or Firefox if need be.
• Try entering "chrome://extensions" (without the quotes) into Chrome's address bar. Click "developer," then update your extensions.
• Some users are reporting that if the extension doesn't begin working right away, simply restarting Chrome may do the trick.
• Still not working? Jump over to the 1Password Chrome Support Forum for help. Be sure to start with the Troubleshooting guide which will be kept up-to-date.

1. Ok fine, it's not true.

Tip: Get a little 1Password 3 in Google Chrome (and Opera!) now (Updated)

Google released the first official beta of Chrome for Mac on Tuesday. Many of our customers have been asking for us to support Chrome, so we have both good and bad news about this release. I'll get the bad news out of the way because I think the good news will make up for it.

The (Temporarily) Bad News

Unfortunately, we have to wait for Google before we can officially support Chrome because extensions were turned off for this release, and Chrome for Mac itself is in a constant state of flux. A lot of under-the-hood changes come fairly frequently—changes you may not see as users, but changes that, as developers, can be quite significant, difficult, and time-consuming to repeatedly adjust for.

These changes are great for progress, but bad for small software shops like us who can't afford the time and manpower to keep up with such an evolving beta project. Our ability to maintain rapid support response times and update 1Password for the Mac and iPhone would suffer, and I don't think any of us would want that.

The Good News—Get A Little 1Password in Chrome now!

Update: Thanks to Leo M in the comments below, I've updated this process to slim down to just two steps for most users.

If you're just dying—dying!—to use 1Password in Chrome for Mac right now, the good news is that you can. A little. While we don't have an official extension that will load in Chrome yet, you can use 1Password 3's new Logins Bookmarklet feature to create a 1Password bookmarklet in Safari that contains your Logins, then import your Safari bookmarks into Chrome. Here's a quickie on how to set it up:

1. Create a Logins Bookmarklet in 1Password 3 from the gear menu in the lower left.

Pick which logins and folders you want this bookmarklet to contain, set an access code at the top (make it a good one!), and click "Update Now" in the lower right to add the bookmarklet to Safari.

2. Drag your Logins Bookmarklet from Safari to Chrome

• Open both Safari and Chrome, then resize or move them so you can see both on screen at once.
• In Chrome, choose View > Always Show Bookmarks Bar
• In Safari, choose Bookmarks > Show All Bookmarks, then drag the Logins Bookmarklet from Safari's bookmarks sidebar to Chrome's Bookmarks Bar

Alternate Version: If you want to import all Safari Bookmarks

Chrome allows you to import all your bookmarks from Safari (and Firefox for that matter). If you go this route instead, you'll have to move your Logins Bookmarklet to Safari's Bookmarks Menu or Bookmarks Bar before importing into Chrome, as Chrome cannot see bookmarks in Safari's "Collections" sidebar.

After performing Step 1 from above, continue here:

2. Organize your Logins Bookmarklet

Because Chrome For Mac does not offer even basic bookmark organization features, you'll need to organize your Logins Bookmarklet in Safari before importing to Chrome.

By default, 1Password will add your Logins Bookmarklet to Safari's Collections area, so you'll need to move it to a more Chrome-friendly location. Open Safari, go to Bookmarks > Show All Bookmarks, then click either the Bookmarks Bar or Bookmarks Menu sections. Drag the Logins Bookmarklet into the section or folder you prefer.

3. Import into Chrome

The first time you start Chrome, it will offer to import your information from another browser. If this is your first time running Chrome, Make sure Safari is selected, then click "Start Google Chrome" to perform the import and get to Chroming.

If you have already been running Chrome and need to import your Safari bookmarks, go to Chrome > Import Bookmarks and Settings option to start the import tool manually.

4. Enjoy a little 1Password in Chrome

When you need to log into a site in Chrome, just click your Logins Bookmarklet to open a nifty 1Password overlay window. Type in the Access Code you set in step 1, click the proper Login, and watch the magic happen.

Let us know what you think

The Chrome for Mac beta just came out this morning, so we haven't had a lot of time to test how our Logins Bookmarklet performs in Chrome yet. It should be able to fill most sites that 1Password can, and it should present only the relevant Logins for each site. As always, though, we're open to feedback, so comment here or get in touch with support to let us know how it goes.

As a reminder though, official support for Chrome is coming, but we don't have an ETA to share yet. Google definitely means "beta" this time, so we're keeping an eye on Chrome's progress and will enhance it with 1Password as soon as possible.

Super Extra Important Things To Know

• Our Logins Bookmarklet feature is one-way, so you can't add new Logins to it from Chrome. It was originally designed as a tool to make it easier to use your Logins in Mobile Safari on iPhone and iPod touch, but it just so happens to work fine with desktop, standards-based browsers like Chrome, too
• Just like its name states, the Logins Bookmarklet only does 1Password Logins; it does not bring your 1Password Identities or Credit Cards to Chrome
• Be sure to use a complex password for your Logins Bookmarklet Access Code. You can make it the same as your 1Password Master Password if that's already pretty strong, but for the ultimate in security, you should probably make it something different. All the usual rules still apply: use a special character or two, use capital and lower-case letters, no plain language words, etc. Just like 1Password, and any password management system for that matter, the security of the information in your Logins Bookmarklet relies on the strength of your Access Code.
• Opera users: After brief testing, Logins Bookmarklets appear to work in Opera 10, too. While our official policy on Opera support is still that we can't do it because Opera does not (and does not plan to) offer the proper extension support that third parties like us need, a Logins Bookmarklet is at least an option for you.

Chrome support is coming, but waiting on Google

At version 4, Google Chrome will finally get around to the Mac. We're almost as excited as you are for a shiny new browser, which is why we've updated our official Google Chrome support status on our browser requirements page to "working on it."

The first official, public beta of Chrome 4 for Mac is imminent. But we're going to need some time to work on supporting Chrome because Google needs more time in order to let third-party developers support Chrome. An official changelog on the Google Chrome release blog for developers says that extensions are disabled in a recent developer release, and will remain so for the first Mac beta. That means Chrome needs some more time in the beta oven before it's ready to let extensions like ours add features and functionality.

Rest assured, we're keeping an eye on Chrome's development. While even the developer versions may look and work fine for many users, the fact that it is not even in beta yet means that a tremendous amount of code, features, and API implementations are in flux "under the hood." We need to wait for Chrome's dust to settle a bit so we don't sacrifice our ability to make great, reliable software and respond quickly to support requests.

Bottom line: when Chrome is ready for extensions, we will enhance it with 1Password.