What’s the easiest way to automate logging into a website

applescriptsafariscriptweb-browsing

There's this website I need to access about every ten minutes. And apparently it was designed in 1993, by sadists. There is no "remember me on this computer" checkbox. And if you don't interact with it for a minute or two it logs you out.

I would like to somehow implement a keystroke that will bring my browser to the foreground, open a new tab, enter my username and password, and click "Login".

It isn't that I don't want to learn AppleScript. I'd love to. I enjoy learning programming languages. I already know several.

It's just that I have many other more pressing matters and time is short and it is seems like not the greatest idea to dig into AppleScript just to deal with this one problem.

What would be the fastest, simplest way to resolve this?

Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

Best Answer

There are commercial tools that do this very well. Each is a drop in the bucket if you depend on them, but are in the $25-35 range since they do many things other than just this one single task. 1Password might be better at a single key command to fill in both a username and password, but TextExpander is also very awesome at what it does and might be more useful in the long run if you don't need a password generation/wallet replacement.

  • 1Password - from where I sit, the best tool for improving web form management securely. It integrates with just about every browser and it very actively being developed.
  • TextExpander for Mac - also, the best of class for taking short snippets and expanding them no matter what app you need the typing assistance.

They do different things and are both on the App Store. Check the developer web sites to see if they have free demo versions - especially if you don't feel you will need them or have concerns about buying without seeing them.