Can appearance settings for text fields include a "password" setting?

Hello,

It would be great if the appearance settings for text fields could include a “password” setting that would make any text typed by the responder in the text field appear to be masked (stars or bullets) as is the case for password fields elsewhere online. This would greatly help in cases when the user has to submit or type in a small piece of sensitive information (a PIN number for instance). It seems like it would be a minor styling improvement to make a would serve many use cases. Ideally this appearance setting would also work when building the form by uploading an XLSForm.

Best regards,

Momar

Hi @momar,

Welcome to the community! Would you mind explaining a bit on why or how you think this feature would be useful?

Have a great day!

@Kal_Lam
I have surveys in which I make respondents use a PIN number or password that I distribute ahead of time in order for them to be able to uncover a part of the survey specific to them. Sometimes this could be the entire survey which I have on a publicly available URL, but want only people with the PIN to be able to fill.
Currently they are typing this PIN in a text field and it could be seen easily by someone sitting next to them. I would like the field to be masked as they type the PIN.

By the way I do know about the access features available on the kobotoolbox platform that make forms accessible to specific users with different levels of privileges. However for the use-cases and target populations I am dealing with, my “poorman’s access control” with a hard coded pin has been field-tested to be much more effective. The administrative overhead and practical difficulties involved in giving respondents user accounts online on the Kobotoolbox platform are not worth it.

Momar

3 Likes

This previously discussed topic could be a work around…

https://forum.getodk.org/t/defining-input-mask-for-answers-in-

1 Like

@chiabotu, thank you for sharing the link but it seems that the link is broken. Could you kindly reshare it, please?

Here’s the full link: Defining Input Mask for Answers in ODK Collect - Support - ODK Forum

It’s about input field formatting via regex, not masking the typed characters. So not what is sought here.

But I would also be interested in a function that masks inputs. Or even better a text question type where inputs will not be part of the submission but turned into a hash via digest and matched with a previously set name and password (e.g. with connected parent form or pull data). This way it would be possible to create accounts without the need of participants to crate a Kobo account.

I think this point should be the reason why a function to perform this task is necessary to be developed… i know someday,Kobo developers we consider this essentials n pressing need a matter of serious urgency it deserves.