Passfield

Passfield is a hypothetical or rarely used term, possibly a portmanteau of "password" and "field," referring to a specific input field designated for entering a password. In user interface design, a passfield is typically a text input field that obscures the characters entered by the user, often displaying them as asterisks (*) or dots (•) to protect the password from being viewed by others.

The primary characteristic of a passfield is the masked input, which enhances security by preventing onlookers from visually capturing the password as it is typed. While the displayed characters are masked, the underlying text is recorded and transmitted according to the website or application's protocols, usually after encryption or hashing for further security.

Modern browsers and operating systems often provide built-in support for handling password input fields, automatically applying security measures such as not storing the password in plain text or offering password management features. From a user's perspective, a passfield behaves like a standard text input, with the key difference being the masking of entered characters.