Description of the need
We have a handful of contrib projects that store API Keys or other sensitive data. Some of these store the data in settings, some in state, and some in config.
I think the safest way to handle secure data would be to store it in the database (via the state system) but since these values often need to be deployed across environments, it would also be nice to be able to define them in settings.php.
Proposed solution
To make lives easier for our contributors, we should provide a FormAPI element that could be used on a normal admin form, that would check both of these two locations for a value, with settings overriding the database if it was provided. When the form is saved, the newly-provided value gets entered into the state system (if it was not initially pulled form settings).
To make lives easier on our site architects/administrators, the Form element should appear like a normal text field, but automatically provide description text explaining that the value within will not be saved in configuration, but that it can be included in the settings.php file (and maybe provide the example code right there, as well).
The FormAPI element should also have a property #hidden_value (or similar) that would give the module developer a choice of whether the value stored should be revealed to the site architect/administrator or not. When this property is set to TRUE placeholder text should be added automatically that reads Value hidden for safety (or similar).
Alternatives that have been considered
TBD
Additional information
TBD
Draft of feature description for Press Release (1 paragraph at most)
Backdrop now includes a new FormAPI element that will help administrators keep sensitive data safe. This element will not save its value in configuration files, which are often committed into Version Control Systems, but instead will store it in the more secure state system (the database), or it can pull the value from settings.php.
Recent comments
well @herb I cannot believe it, but the webform module was there in modules on the disc, but missing in the listed modules, so I delete the module folder, and downloaded it again. Then...
My Webform Worksheets have disappeared
The only thing I can think of is to make sure Webform module is enabled and that the content type that needs to contain the webforms has Webform enabled for it. Edit the content type and make...
My Webform Worksheets have disappeared
@yorkshirepudding, In the end I fixed it by deleting the config/active folder contents, copying the config/staging/ files into config/active, importing the database again and clearing the caches...
Importing the staged config throws an error: another field with the same name already exists