Properties of a Textbox control

Use the following tabs to configure the properties of a Textbox control.

General

Type

The type of the control.

Name

A unique name for the text field. For example, use "CustName" instead of "textbox1".

Tooltip

Supplementary information about the text field.

For example, inform the user that the name must start with a Capital letter. Add a tooltip for the Customer Name field in the Customer Details form similar to "Enter your name here and make sure that the name starts with a Capital letter."

State

The state of the field to be Optional, Mandatory or Hidden. (Default: Optional)

Enabled

If selected, enables the field at runtime.

Read only

If selected, makes the text field non-editable at runtime.

Security token

Makes the control secure. See Security tokens.

Text

A meaningful text for the text field. For example, use "Customer name" instead of "textbox1".

Hint text

Hints the user to enter a value in the input field.

The hint text appears before the user enters a value. When you click on the field, the hint text disappears.

The hint text only appears if the field does not have a value, default value or focus.

If you import a form from a previous version of TotalAgility, the hint text appears empty.

Error message

A message to appear at runtime when a mandatory text field contains no data.

Max length

The maximum number of characters allowed in a text field. If set, you cannot enter more than the specified number of characters into the text field. If you, enter more characters, only characters up to the set maximum number appear in the field.

By default, the maximum length of a text field is 0 (zero), which means a user can enter any number of characters in the field.

The max length property is independent of Type and Format properties.

Multiline

Handles text that may go beyond one line, such as customer address. If selected, allows you to specify the height of the text field. If clear, the height of the control defaults to 22.

If selected for a capture text field, you can preserve line breaks during OCR lassoing. See Capture controls for more information on capture text field.

Field type

Predefined field types used for entering specific types of data in a text field. For example, if the text field will be used for entering dates, select Date as field type.

TotalAgility supports the following field types.

Data type	Description
String (default)	Accepts any character as a string. Use the String field independently or with the "Max length" property. On selecting this data type, the Mask property becomes available that controls the format of the value entered by the user at runtime. This property is only for display purpose and does not affect the value entered. At runtime, the mask format is displayed in the text field. As you type, your input follows the mask defined. See Masked text field.
Numeric	Accepts any whole number. Use the Numeric field independently or with the "Max length" property.
Decimal	Accepts any floating-point number' the decimal place is not fixed and must be entered if required. Use the Decimal field independently or with the "Max length" property. On selecting this data type, the following properties become available: Allow decimals: Displays a numeric fraction after the decimal point. Decimal precision: Specifies the number of digits allowed after the decimal point. For example, If you enter a decimal number as 0.234, and specify decimal precision to 2, the system displays ".23".
Currency	Accepts digits and a decimal place. The number of digits that can be allowed after the decimal place is based on the regional settings. For example, for the UK region, the currency value can be up to 2 decimal places; for Italy, it can be up to 6 decimal places; for Denmark, the currency may not allow any decimal values. If you select this data type, the following properties become available: Allow decimals: Displays a numeric fraction after the decimal point. Decimal precision: Specifies the number of digits allowed after the decimal point. For example, If you enter a decimal number as 0.234, and specify decimal precision to 2, the system displays ".23". Currency code: Allows to associate a currency which formats the value entered at runtime to match the user locale. By default, the Currency code field is empty. When creating a currency field, you can optionally select a currency code. Once you associate a currency code, the data input in that field appears in the currency format that corresponds to your browser locale. The currency symbol is included. For more information on how to define currency codes, see Manage currency codes.
Date	Accepts the maximum and minimum values for a date. Accepts a short form date. The format depends on regional settings and cannot be altered. Maximum date is mandatory for touch forms else it sets the current date as Maximum date. For example, if you set the minimum date as 2030 and leave the maximum date as blank, the form displays dates from 2030 to current year. If you do not set the maximum date and release the form, a message appears reminding you to enter the maximum date.
Boolean	Accepts a true or false value.
Password	Accepts any character as a string. However, the characters appears as * (asterisks) at runtime. You cannot use the "Field type" property if you set the format for a text field. On Windows, the Microsoft Virtual keyboard is disabled when using a text field in password mode.
Email	Accepts an email address.
URL	Accepts a URL web address.

If you view a form in a phone browser like Safari using a touchscreen, the device displays the touchscreen keypad to enter the data.

Format

Set up a field mask in the form of a regular expression that appears when a user enters data. Use a pre-defined regular expression or create custom expressions.

Regular expression

A set of rules applied to a text field. The rules specify the type and range of data that a user can enter. The expression tests the accuracy of input data as the form is being completed and ensures that the data entered conforms to the specified pattern. If the pattern is not followed, a message can inform the user of the error. For example, specify a regular expression for a text field in which a user must enter a name in the following format: <First name starting with a capital letter> space <Last name starting with a capital letter>. If the user forgets to enter the space before the Last name, a message can be displayed.

Supported regular expressions include:

Internet E-mail address: \w+([-+.]\w+)*@\w+([-.]\w+)*\.\w+([-.]\w+)*
Internet URL: http://([\w-]+\.)+[\w-]+(/[\w- ./?%&=]*)?
Percentage: ^(100(?:\.0{1,2})?|0*?\.\d{1,2}|\d{1,2}(?:\.\d{1,2})?)$
Time: ([0-1][0-9]|[2][0-3]):([0-5][0-9])
UK Date: (0[1-9]|[12][0-9]|3[01])[- /.](0[1-9]|1[012])[- /.](19|20)\d\d
UK DateTime: 9]|3[01])[- /.](0[1-9]|1[012])[- /.](19|20)\d\d\s(20|21|22|23|[01]\d|\d)(([:][0-5]\d){1,2})$
UK PostCode: (?:(?:A[BL]|B[ABDHLNRST]?|C[ABFHMORTVW]|D[ADEGHLNTY]|E[CHNX]?|F[KY]|G[LUY]?|H[ADGPRSUX]|I[GMPV]|JE|K[ATWY]|L[ADELNSU]?|M[EKL]?|N[EGNPRW]?|O[LX]|P[AEHLOR]|R[GHM]|S[AEGKLMNOPRSTWY]?|T[ADFNQRSW]|UB|W[ACDFNRSV]?|YO|ZE)\d(?:\d|[A-Z])? \d[A-Z]{2})')
US DateTime: [- /.](0[1-9]|[12][0-9]|3[01])[- /.](19|20)\d\d\s(20|21|22|23|[01]\d|\d)(([:][0-5]\d){1,2})$

Value when empty

A default value to be used by an action (.Net, Web service, or DB query) at runtime if the textbox remains empty. If the text field value is empty at runtime, the system checks which property is selected at the design time.

The "Value when empty" property is only available for the following field types: String, Numeric, Decimal, Currency, and Date.

Field Type

Value when empty options

String

Null: The value of the text field when empty, is null.
String: The value of the text field fetches the string value given at the design time and displays it at runtime. By default, the text field for String is empty at design time.

Date

Null: The value of the text field when empty, is null.
Date: Select a date which is displayed at runtime. By default, the Date field is empty at design time.

Numeric

Decimal

Currency

Null: The value of the text field when empty, is null.
String: Enter a numeric value (default: 0) which is displayed at runtime. This applies to Desktop, Tablet and Mobile forms.

Show time

If selected, displays the time element at runtime. This property is only displayed when the textbox field type is set to Date.