Encrypted field: protect sensitive data with a password
The Encrypted field column type stores sensitive information encrypted and accessible only through a password. Use it for an external tool password, a third-party API key or a client access, rather than an ordinary text field.
The field password belongs to the column. It has nothing to do with your TimeTonic account password, and it is requested every time you want to read or enter data. Store it in your password manager, just like the credentials it protects.
Insert a new column
Give it a name, then choose the Encrypted field type.
2
Set the password
In the Options tab, enter the password, then confirm it. Both fields are required.
3
Insert the field
The column appears in your table, its values hidden by default.
Enter and read the data
The values of an encrypted field are permanently hidden. To display them, open the column menu and choose Reveal encrypted values, then enter the field password.
You can then read and enter your data normally. Once you are done, go back to the same menu and choose Hide encrypted values to mask them again.
Example: a table listing accesses to external tools, with an encrypted column for the passwords. Workspace members see the rows and the tool names, but not the credentials, except those who know the field password.
What encryption protects
The data of an encrypted field is also encrypted in the main database, on TimeTonic's servers. The protection is therefore not limited to the display.
No search is possible on this data. That is the trade-off of encryption: an encrypted value never appears in the search bar, in a filter, or in a formula.
Combine with other protections
The encrypted field answers the case "nobody should read this data". Other situations call for other tools:
Show only part of the data
Your colleagues need to recognise the right row without seeing the full number. A formula column with APPLY_MASK() shows only the last characters, like a bank card number.
Hide the column from some members
The Restrict access option in the column menu makes the column invisible or read-only in the views you choose.
Show the column conditionally
Conditional visibility shows the column only when a condition is met, conditional read-only keeps it visible but not editable.
The most useful combination: a formula column using APPLY_MASK() to display a masked version, plus a access restriction on the original column. Your colleagues work with the masked version, the full data stays with those who need it.