Request: Change Import Actions to Prompt User First

@peternlewis, I know we have discussed this before, but I can't find that post or topic.

Please change the KM Editor app Import Actions process so that BEFORE the Actions are actually imported, you prompt the user asking them to confirm the import, and providing information about where the Actions will be inserted.

As I have said before, I believe the KM Editor feature to "import actions" is very dangerous for these reasons:

  1. Unlike "import macros", the import actions inserts the Actions without any notice into the user's current macro.
  2. It is very likely, as confirmed by the below quotes, that the user will not even notice the import, and may go for some time with a macro that has been unintentional changed. If the imported Actions delete things, this could be catastrophic.
  3. Very few users upload Actions, so most of us don't notice that we are downloading Actions.

Here are a number of recent quotes which show this issue:

3 Likes

agree 100, thanks for posting,

I unknowingly added it to a couple macros... :man_facepalming:
I'd categorize this as a bug.

As you say, the user who is importing actions should be prompted what do they want to do with the action, and import it as disabled.

The user flow that I thought is:

  1. User clicks .actions file
  2. KM displays prompt Do you want to import Action file into [selected macro]? Yes/No
  3. If yes: KM imports it in disabled state.
  4. In the macro, KM scrolls to where it's been inserted.
  5. Finally, imported action(s) are displayed in a selected(highlighted) state, so the user knows what was imported.

steps 4 and 5 are important to inform the user what was added and where.

1 Like

some examples with current KM, since it's possible to unknowingly import bad actions in KM 9.0.5:
@JMichaelTX @peternlewis @Tom

from the annoying:
image

juvenile:
image

mildly infuriating
image

another one:
filling Keychain with entries...

worst one so far:
image
A very well crafted one could attach sensitive documents. Opens KM to be an attack vector.

and I thought I was technically literate...

1 Like

You made my day :rofl: :joy:
Especially categories “mildly infuriating” and “worst one so far”.

And very wise that you uploaded only the screenshots…

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If actions by default were imported in disabled state, it would probably already help.

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ah, got a new one:

  • open a shock website, or many!