Re: How to store SMTP credentials via Secret Service API?

[John Steele Scott]

Thanks Michael for your reply.

On 13/06/13 20:09, Michael Albinus wrote:
> John Steele Scott <toojays@toojays.net> writes:
> 
> Hi John,
> 
>> If I eval something like:
>>
>> (secrets-create-item "Default" "toojays.net smtp" "my-secret-password"
>>  :host "my-mail-host" 
>>  :port "587"
>>  :user "toojays@toojays.net")
>>
>> it errors like:
>>
>> Secret Service session: /org/freedesktop/secrets/session/s287
>> byte-code: D-Bus error: "Method \"CreateItem\" with signature
>> \"a{sv}(oayay)b\" on interface \"org.freedesktop.Secret.Collection\"
>> doesn't exist
> 
> Yep, there was an extension to the Secret Service API, which was not
> implemented yet in secrets.el. (For the curious ones: a "secret" struct
> has now an additional content_type entry. The signature is "(oayays)" )
> 
>> Is there a workaround for this?
> 
> I've changed secrets.el in Emacs' trunk accordingly. If you don't run
> Emacs dev version, you could download the file from
> <http://git.savannah.gnu.org/cgit/emacs.git/plain/lisp/net/secrets.el?h=trunk>

I downloaded the new version, and used "load-file" to get it into my Emacs
24.3. I still had no success when trying to set the secret with
secrets-create-item though.

>> For instance, if I could create the key some other way (e.g. via
>> seahorse), will Emacs be able to retrieve it?
> 
> Likely yes. You could call "M-x secrets-show-secrets" and navigate
> through the items. If Emacs shows you your password which you have
> created via seahorse, chances are good that it works.

Okay, seahorse was no good, because at least with the version I had (3.2.2), I
couldn't see a way to set any properties such as host/port/username with the
secret. However, I found some python attached to this article
<http://www.clasohm.com/blog/one-entry?entry_id=90957> which shows how to
interface with gnome-keyring to set keys. I set the key that way, which seems to
work fine.

>> Have I even used the correct syntax to create the key?
> 
> Yes. I have used it during debugging (with the exception, that I have
> used "session" insted of "Default", 'cause I didn't want to add the key
> permanently).
> 
> OTOH, IIRC one could instruct auth-sources to create a password if it
> doesn't exist yet. Then you don't need to fiddle with secrets.el directly.

I did start there, but auth-sources complains that
"The Secrets API auth-source backend doesn't support creation yet"

Thanks again,

John