Add option to hide "Notes" field

[cdrehner]

I'd love to have the option to also hide the "Notes" field by default. I know I could use a protected custom field, but since KeePassXC can hide the notes, I've already stored several sensitive information in this field. Thank you very much!

[keepassium]

Thank you for the suggestion! To be honest, I am rather divided about this…

On the one hand, "Notes" is just a field. So it would make sense to be uniform and make it possible to hide the notes, like any other custom field.

On the other hand, "Notes" is a bit special: it is one of the few predefined fields, its "protected/unprotected" state is defined at the database level (not per entry, like custom fields). Plus, I've heard from people who use it for long-form texts (personal journal) and adding as little as an "eye" button would interfere with their experience.

After some more thinking, I believe sensitive pieces of data do belong in custom fields, they are both safer and easier to use. Imagine copying a credit card number:

• From the Notes field: reveal Notes → find the CC number among other info → select its text → tap Copy → hide the Notes again.
• From a custom field: tap the custom field, done. Without even revealing it.

Making it possible to hide Notes would encourage the first approach, which is ultimately not in users' interest…

[cdrehner]

Thank you very much for your detailed consideration on this! I totally agree with you that storing sensitive data such as CC number in a custom field makes much more sense. However, on my desktop I use the Notes field to quickly write down stuff from registration processes like security Q&As:

"First pet's name? -> Snoopy" "Mum's place of birth? -> Paris" "Backup Mail address -> ..." and so on.

Pasting this into customs field(s) means a lot more clicks here. Can you see this use case and why not being able to hide this field in keepassium when using an existing database feels like a little downside?

If users do not wish to hide the Notes field by default and thus don't enable this in the settings, I hope the feature wouldn't annoy them?

Appreciate your great work, no matter the outcome on this! ;-)

[keepassium]

Can you see this use case and why not being able to hide this field in keepassium when using an existing database feels like a little downside?

I do understand the use case; my older entries are exactly like this :)

"First pet's name? -> Snoopy" "Mum's place of birth? -> Paris" "Backup Mail address -> ..." and so on.

Pasting this into customs field(s) means a lot more clicks here.

Ok, this will sound like "Just avoid holding it in this way"…

Yes, it takes more clicks to enter that info in custom fields. It is much quicker to dump everything into Notes. But quicker is not always better.

• How many times you will enter that info? Once.
• How many times you will copy-paste that info? Multiple.

So any clicks saved at the first stage will cost you more clicks wasted in the future.

An analogy, if I may. Storing new accounts in a text file (even an encrypted one) would be quick and easy. But searching that file without any structure would be difficult. Adding an account to a password manager takes some discipline and a lot of clicks. Yet here we are :)

[keepassium]

Ok, I guess this can be closed now.