AppleScript password checking - macos

Question

I'm trying to get simple user authentication going via AppleScript. The goal is to have the passwords check against each other and then continue on with the rest of the script. Right now the script can recognize mis-matched password if password_initial is correct and password_final is incorrect, but if password_initial is incorrect and password_final is correct there is no logic to check against itself.
set user_name to ""
display dialog "Please enter your user name" default answer "firstname.lastname"
set the user_name to the text returned of result
set password_initial to ""
display dialog "Please enter your password:" default answer "" with hidden answer
set password_initial to the text returned of result
display dialog "Please verify your password below." buttons {"OK"} default answer "" with hidden answer
set password_final to text returned of result
considering case
repeat while password_final is not equal to password_initial
display dialog "Passwords do not match, please re-enter your password below." buttons {"OK"} default answer "" with hidden answer
set password_final to text returned of result
end repeat
end considering
--do something
Can anyone point me in the right direction on this? Thanks!

Answer 1

Whoa whoa whoa, handlers and global variables? No need for all that, why not just throw the whole thing into a loop and then break it when we get what we want?
set user_name to text returned of (display dialog "Please enter your user name" default answer "firstname.lastname")
set display_text to "Please enter your password:"
repeat
considering case
set init_pass to text returned of (display dialog display_text default answer "" with hidden answer)
set final_pass to text returned of (display dialog "Please verify your password below." buttons {"OK"} default button 1 default answer "" with hidden answer)
if (final_pass = init_pass) then
exit repeat
else
set display_text to "Mismatching passwords, please try again"
end if
end considering
end repeat
#Rest of script here...

Answer 2

The trick with something like this is to use Handlers.
These are bits of code that can be called to run within your script as many times as you want and save on rewriting the same code over again.
They can also help you not use repeat loops like you are doing. Also you should always add the 'cancel' button to your display dialogs. If there is bad logic in a repeat loop or a handler call the user needs a way to exit it.
I have also made some of the display dialog text dynamic. and used some global variables
I have tested this code which has Handles and the calls to them and it works well in my testing. But it is an example and should give you enough to move forward.
set displays to {"Please enter your password:", "Please verify your password below.", "Passwords do not match, please re-enter your password below."}
set user_name to add_user_name() #get user name
set thedisplay to item 1 of displays #set the fisrt dialog for the password display to the first item in displays
global thedisplay, displays, password_initial #global variables
set password_final to setDetails() #Call to start the password dialogs
--your code here ..
#HANDLERS
on setDetails()
set password_initial to add_password() #call to get user password
set password_final to verify_password() #call to get verify password
end setDetails
on add_user_name()
display dialog "Please enter your user name" buttons {"Cancel", "OK"} default answer "firstname.lastname"
set the user_name to the text returned of result
return user_name
end add_user_name
on add_password()
display dialog thedisplay buttons {"Cancel", "OK"} default answer "" with hidden answer
set password_initial to the text returned of result
return password_initial
end add_password
on verify_password()
set thedisplay to item 2 of displays #set the dialog for the password verify display to the second item in displays
display dialog thedisplay buttons {"Cancel", "OK"} default answer "" with hidden answer
set password_final to text returned of result
considering case
if password_final is not equal to password_initial then
set thedisplay to item 3 of displays #set the dialog for the password verify display to the third item in displays
my setDetails() # start over again asking for password as it did not does not match dialog displays will also change accordingly
else
set thedisplay to item 2 of displays #set the dialog for the password verify display to the second item in displays
end if
end considering
return password_final
end verify_password