Improve inline autocomplete experience including disabling it

[mRB0]

I am using KeePassXC 2.5.1 on MacOS 10.15.2.

Pull request 3300 added inline autocomplete while typing usernames. The linked discussion shows a screenshot with a setting to disable the functionality, but this seems to be missing.

I'd like to disable it because it interferes with my typing.

Specifically:

• Typing a letter and then pressing backspace erases the completion instead of the letter I just typed (but only if there's a matching entry to complete to).

• Entering a common initial substring will extend my input with undesired text, even if that text isn't supposed to be part of this entry (issue 3776).

Steps to reproduce

1. Have an unrelated entry with the username johndoe
2. Create a new entry.
3. Type j<backspace>hawndoe.

Expected Behavior

Input field contains hawndoe

Current Behavior

Input field contains jhawndoe

I pressed backspace intending to erase the j, but it's still present.

Possible Solution

Option 1: Pull request 3300 demonstrated a setting to disable the behaviour, but this doesn't seem to be present in 2.5.1.

Option 2: Use a version prior to the feature's inclusion in 2.5.0.

Context

I type fast and use tactile feedback from my keyboard to confirm what I've typed. I'm often looking somewhere other than the input field while I'm typing, for example when I'm manually typing text that I'm reading from somewhere else (like on a paper form).

It's really frustrating to me when the software interprets my input in an unusual or surprising fashion, and it's important to me that my entries are precisely entered as typed.

Thanks in advance!

Debug Info

KeePassXC - Version 2.5.1
Revision: 0fd8836

Qt 5.13.1
Debugging mode is disabled.

Operating system: macOS 10.15
CPU architecture: x86_64
Kernel: darwin 19.2.0

Enabled extensions:

• Auto-Type
• Browser Integration
• SSH Agent
• KeeShare (signed and unsigned sharing)
• YubiKey
• TouchID

Cryptographic libraries:
libgcrypt 1.8.5

[droidmonkey]

The "undesired" backspace behavior you describe is the behavior of every autocomplete I've ever used. Chrome and Firefox both have this behavior in the address bar. I'm not against a setting to completely disable autocomplete, but your backspace proposal will not be implemented. It is essentially issuing two backspaces when one is pressed.

I personally prefer the Outlook style autocomplete for addresses. It only pops up a selection dialog below the field and does not append the completion to the typed text. That does cause a couple extra keyboard strokes to use though.

[mRB0]

Hi! Thanks for responding. I'm certainly not proposing that we should issue multiple backspaces; I was just using backspaces as an example of how the current behaviour interferes with typing. As you mention, the behaviour matches Firefox (where it can be disabled) and Chrome (where it cannot).

I'm suggesting that there should be an option to disable inline autocomplete altogether, or find another option that doesn't interfere with the user's typing (as you describe Outlook's behaviour).