How to use the custom window sequences in KeePass 2.X?

June 3, 2010 10:01 AM

Custom window/sequence associations in KeePass, can't figure out what it really does or quite simply don't understand it!

I've been using KeePass for a little over a month now and so far love it's auto type feature. If I go to Gmail.com, the browser's title window says "GMail: Email from Google". I have a couple GMail email addresses. In KeePass, I create two entries and both the entries have their titles as "Google" (which can work as it's a substring of Gmail: Email from Google). I still don't know what the URL field is for other than reference purposes - don't know if it plays a part in auto type or not.

So that's that. I kinda know how this simple title-based auto type feature works. But then there is this Custom window/sequence associations thing that utilizes the "Auto Type" tab in KeePass 2.x (I use the latest) and no matter what I read about it, it still confuses me and I don't understand it. All I know is it's probably pretty important and powerful for me to use KeePass.


Finally, sometimes I go to facebook.com and use the autotype hotkey, and it puts in my password in the username field and leaves the password field blank and hits enter. WTH?! I try it a couple more times, and it sometimes works like it should. Don't know if I'm doing something wrong in config there. Oh, I use Google Chrome btw with the "Hostname extension".

posted by Vandal to Computers & Internet (3 answers total)

So, there's a few questions here. Most of what I say will be valid, but I mostly use the Linux port (KeePassX) so there may be some differences.

KeePass can launch a site for you, that's what the URL field is for. There's another shortcut or menu item to do that.

With facebook, it may not be placing your cursor in the username box first. That could be your browser not doing it or it could be that you're hitting AutoType before the page is done loading, or it could be other things. I always click in the Username box, then hit AutoType in KeePass.

Custom sequences are for sites that don't have the normal "username box -> tab -> password box" sequence. One of my bank sites has Username on one page, then Password on the other. I would have to tell KeePass to do username, then enter, then password, then enter. Or whatever other sequence is needed.
posted by mad bomber what bombs at midnight at 10:21 AM on June 3, 2010

Thanks mad bomber about the custom sequences.. is there any way you can elaborate with some examples on a couple different websites, and what needs to be done on KeePass?

Actually, wait.. you're on Linux. So maybe it _is_ different how you set it up.
posted by Vandal at 11:47 AM on June 3, 2010

So, if you edit a custom autotype sequence, it will have a list of codes for various keypresses. You just make a list in order of what you have to do when you log into the site. So, the default is:

{USERNAME}{TAB}{PASSWORD}{TAB}{ENTER}

If you had a site like fnbodirect.com where only the username box is shown on the first screen, you would do:

{USERNAME}{ENTER}{PASSWORD}{ENTER}

Say you had to put in a pin number too:

{USERNAME}{ENTER}{PASSWORD}{TAB}343434{ENTER}

There's also {DELAY=##} if you need KeePass to wait a bit before going on to the next key.

KeePass's help site has the full list. Basically, you can script arbitrarily complex login procedures.
posted by mad bomber what bombs at midnight at 3:08 PM on June 3, 2010