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Bug 708333 - Troubles with password prompt dialog.
Troubles with password prompt dialog.
Status: RESOLVED DUPLICATE of bug 688434
Product: evolution
Classification: Applications
Component: Mailer
3.8.x (obsolete)
Other Linux
: Normal normal
: ---
Assigned To: evolution-mail-maintainers
Evolution QA team
evolution[passwords]
Depends on:
Blocks:
 
 
Reported: 2013-09-18 21:42 UTC by van.de.bugger
Modified: 2015-04-28 15:25 UTC
See Also:
GNOME target: ---
GNOME version: ---



Description van.de.bugger 2013-09-18 21:42:40 UTC
Fedora 19, Evolution 3.8.5, Gnome 3.8.

I have some troubles with password prompt dialog. I have many mail accounts, and use password manager, namely, KeePassX. In older versions of Evolution, I could specify passwords for email accounts in Edit/Preferences/Mail Accounts, but in Evolution 3.8 there is no such possibility. Mail Accounts Preferences were reworked, and there is no way to specify passwords in advance. I had set up all the accounts, and pressed Send/Receive button for the first time. Evolution shown password prompt dialog for the first mail account. The problem was that this a system-wide modal dialog -- there was no way to switch to my password manager -- Alt+Tab did not work, Window key did not work also, even mouse did not help to switch to another application or window. This, I had to press Cancel, and Evolution immediately shown password prompt dialog for another account, and so on.

There is a workaround. You can copy a password into clipboard in advance, before pressing Send/Receive. Of course, it is not convenient, but it does work... for one mail account. When you paste your password into dialog and press "Ok", you will see a prompt for another password... Oops.

I am not sure if password prompt dialog should be system-wide modal or not. For example, Bug 694243 requests password prompt dialog should be modal:

> It would be great if evolution could use the gnome-shell password prompter
> dialog when requesting my gpg password. This way there's no chance that
> another application can steal focus and my password.

However, this is a usability issue which should be solved somehow. Probably, Gnome password prompter and password managers can be more tightly integrated.

Meanwhile, Evolution can do a part of the job. Evolution keeps all the passwords in Gnome keyring. A user could use Gnome keyring directly to set/change email passwords. But now it is hardly possible. In my keyring I see all the email passwords, but al the passwords look like:

> Evolution Data Source 1378838468.3746.12@localhost.localdomain
> Evolution Data Source 1378839943.4816.4@localhost.localdomain
> ...

Oops. Possible workaround/solution could be implemented in two steps:

1. Evolution should use meaningful names for passwords in Gnome keyring.
2. Evolution should create entry in keyring as soon as user set up an account (not wait for the first Send/Receive).

In such a case user can set up all the accounts in Evolution, then open keyring and set all the passwords.
Comment 1 Matthew Barnes 2013-09-18 23:24:26 UTC
Partial dupe of bug 695744.
Comment 2 André Klapper 2013-09-19 09:01:13 UTC
(In reply to comment #0)
> The problem was that this a system-wide modal dialog

Marking as duplicate of bug 688434.

*** This bug has been marked as a duplicate of bug 688434 ***
Comment 3 van.de.bugger 2014-06-19 16:23:24 UTC
Bug 688434 is not yet fixed.

I still have troubles with Evolution. Evolution entries in Gnome keyring still not user-readable:

> Evolution Data Source 1378842758.5055.351@antec.home

Could you please make them user-friendly? So the user can identify email account.
Comment 4 Matthew Barnes 2014-06-19 16:38:11 UTC
(In reply to comment #3)
> Could you please make them user-friendly? So the user can identify email
> account.

That's already fixed in 3.12 -- bug 695744.
Comment 5 van.de.bugger 2015-02-19 23:29:14 UTC
(In reply to Matthew Barnes from comment #4)
> That's already fixed in 3.12 -- bug 695744.

? Now I work in F21 with Gnome 3.14 and Evolution 3.12.10, and my keyring is still full of "Evolution Data Source 1378842600.5055.297@antec.home".

What should I do to have readable items in keyring?
Comment 6 André Klapper 2015-02-20 09:07:11 UTC
They don't magically get renamed just because you run 3.12... 
Bug 695744 fixed this for new installations.
Comment 7 van.de.bugger 2015-02-20 11:18:18 UTC
I saw that bug, thanks. But my question is not answered: What should *I* do to have readable items in keyring?
Comment 8 Milan Crha 2015-04-28 15:25:49 UTC
Simply break the password in seahorse, then you'll be asked for it, correct it, and on save it'll be renamed. In any case, the "nice naming in keyring" is a workaround for the real bug, the system modal dialog. That is fixed in 3.16.0+. Please do not reopen this bug when you have only questions for workaround.

*** This bug has been marked as a duplicate of bug 688434 ***