Field
The field editor within the class designer allows the user to customize their field. This section introduces the process to create a field, and provides in-depth information about its properties.
Last updated
The field editor within the class designer allows the user to customize their field. This section introduces the process to create a field, and provides in-depth information about its properties.
Last updated
Starting in the Class Designer, click on the down arrow on the left side of the class you wish to work on. Next, expand the Fields for the class. Go to Add a new field and enter the name of your field. Press Enter to open the field editor.
Clicking on an existing field opens it in the field editor to allow changing its configurations.
The Common section contains general properties of a field. In this section, you can specify how the field is presented in your application by setting the name, description and other information.
The field key is an internal label for the field in your application.
Field keys are typically used when querying data to define which information to output from a particular query. More information about data queries can be found here.
The Key field is compulsory when creating a field.
The internal key is a unique identifier for your field and defines your field name in the database.
The Internal Key field is compulsory when creating a field.
This is the name that is displayed in the application. By clicking on the globe icon, you can define a name for every language.
The Name field is compulsory when creating a field.
The field description provides additional information to help the user navigate through your application. It can also be used as a hover text.
This field determines what type of data is allowed by the field and saved in the database.
The Data Type field is compulsory when creating a field.
Based on the data type, different control type options are made available for the user to enter a value for the field.
Any
Label, Html
Guid
Label, TextBox, ComboBox, Slider, Html
Boolean
Checkbox
String
Label, TextBox, ComboBox, EditComboBox, Slider, Password, TextArea, Email, Phone, Address, Url, HtmlEditor, MarkdownEditor, Html
DateTime
Label, TextBox, Calendar, DatePicker, TimePicker, Html
Integer
Label, TextBox, ComboBox, EditComboBox, Slider, Html
Byte
Label, TextBox, ComboBox, EditComboBox, Slider, Html
Short
Label, TextBox, ComboBox, EditComboBox, Slider, Html
Long
Label, TextBox, ComboBox, EditComboBox, Slider, DurationPicker, Html
Float
Label, TextBox, ComboBox, EditComboBox, Slider, Html
Double
Label, TextBox, ComboBox, EditComboBox, Slider, Html
Numeric
Label, TextBox, ComboBox, EditComboBox, Slider, Html
ByteArray
Preview
Char
Label, TextBox, ComboBox, EditComboBox, Slider
Xml
Label, TextBox, TextArea, Content, ComboBox, Slider, Html
The field control type defines the editor with which a user can interact with the field. Control type options vary based on the data type selected for the field. Below is a list of different control types and how they can be used.
Labels are used to present a single line of text. The control type 'Label' (or item appearance 'Label') shows the value of the field without the possibility to edit it. The field is visualized like a read-only field without the effects.
Supported data types: Any, Guid, String, DateTime, Integer, Byte, Short, Long, Float, Double, Numeric, Char, Xml
TextBox
Textboxes allows the user to enter a single line of text.
Supported data types: Guid, String, DateTime, Integer, Byte, Short, Long, Float, Double, Numeric, Char, Xml
The calendar control is a combination of a Date Picker and a Time Picker to allow the user to select both a date and a time as input.
Supported data type: DateTime
The date picker control is a textbox that is equipped with a calendar for easier date input.
Supported data type: DateTime
The time picker control is a textbox that is customized for easier input of time value.
Supported data type: DateTime
Combo-boxes are used to select a single value from a given set of options. By choosing this control type, additional configurations are presented to the user to configure the combo-box set of options.
Supported data types: Guid, String, Integer, Byte, Short, Long, Float, Double, Numeric, Char, Xml
Based on the Data Source Type selected, different fields are presented to finalize the source of combo-box options.
For Combo-boxes an automatic pagination mechanism is implemented. So even if there are dozens of options there won't be any performance issues when user is searching through the options.
An alternate version of the combo-box is the EditComboBox control type which has the same configuration options as a normal combo-box.
However, input values for an edit-combo-box is not limited to the option set provided. Users can enter custom values in the input box.
Sliders allow the user to choose a value graphically. Additional Options Source configurations are provided to the user when this control type is selected. These configurations define which options are made available when using the slider.
Supported data types: Guid, String, Integer, Byte, Short, Long, Float, Double, Numeric, Char, Xml
With your data source configurations set, your slider will be ready for use in your application.
Password fields are displayed with a single line of escaped text. By default, the password is masked using dots. Selecting the eye icon on the right of the textbox allows the password to be viewed as plain text.
Supported data type: String
This allowed the user to input multiple lines of text. In the bottom right corner of the input box, a resize option is provided allowing you to increase the height of the text area.
Supported data types: String, Xml
URL control types allows a single line of text to be entered. The input box is customized for adding hyperlinks. An option on the right of the input box allows you to open the hyperlink in a new tab.
Supported data type: String
Html Editors allows the user to create and edit content in html format - allowing for easier combinations of multimedia and text.
Supported data type: String
Displays the value of the field as HTML in non-editable format.
Supported data type:
Any, Guid, String, DateTime, Integer, Byte, Short, Long, Float, Double, Numeric, Xml
Markdown Editors allows the user to create and edit content in markdown format - allowing for content consisting of text and multimedia to be created while reducing the complexity of content creation compared to HTML.
Supported data type: String
Email control types allows a single line of text to be entered. The input box is customized for email input.
Supported data type: String
Phone control types allows a single line of text to be entered. The input box is customized for phone entry.
Supported data type: String
Address control types allows a single line of text to be entered. The input box is equipped with an option to open your address on Google Maps so you can confirm the location.
Supported data type: String
The preview control type works with images stored as byte arrays. Using this control, the byte-array is rendered into the original image in your application.
Supported data type: ByteArray
The content control type can be used with XML content. Similar to text-areas, it allows the user to increase the height by using a resizer at the bottom right corner of the input box.
Supported data type: Xml
The control type gets ticks and displays them as a duration (TimeSpan). Upon changing the duration, the new value gets saved as ticks (Long). The DurationPicker can be configured (in layout designer) to only display some of the different parts (days, hours, minutes and seconds).
Ticks are defined as 10,000 ticks per millisecond.
Supported data type: Long
Data Source Type Class is selectable for control types ComboBox, EditComboBox and Slider.
Selection of Data Source Type Class requires additionaly selection of the class which will serve as a data source and the field of the chosen class.
Data Source Type Selection can be chosen for the Control Types ComboBox, EditComboBox and Slider.
Is the data source type Selection chosen, the following fields can be filled:
Selection (required): A selection to choose from. All selections without a context or selections with a context matching the context of the parameter. For Field, Action-Parameter, Template-Parameter and Workflow-Parameter of the configured class is the matching context. For Selection-Parameter the context class is the matching context.
Key field (required): A field of the selection to use as identification of each entry. The value will be used to store in a class field or parameter. Only fields of the same selection source can be selected.
Name field (required): A field of the selection to use to display each entry. This can be the same as the key field. Only fields of the same selection source can be selected.
Controllers Data Source Type can be chosen for the Control Types ComboBox, EditComboBox and Slider. You get a selection of controllers for different tasks.
Data Source Type Option can be chosen for the Control Types ComboBox, EditComboBox and Slider. With this type you can enter the selection possibilities manually.
Data source option can include translations for the name part of an option. Translations are optional and separated through the ':' character. Supported translations are:
de - German language
en - English language
fr - French language
The following data source option definitions are supported:
ID-only
Definition: <ID>[;<ID>]
Example: id1;id2;id3
Only IDs with no names are shown
ID and name are the same
ID is saved as the field value
ID-Name
Definition: <ID>:<Name>[;<ID>:<Name>]
Example: id1:name1;id2:name2;id3:name3
Names are shown
ID and name are separated
ID is saved as the field value
ID-Name-Translations
Definition: <ID>:<Name>[:<Language>:<Translation>][;<ID>:<Name>[:<Language>:<Translation>]]
Translation for the language of the current user or name if no translation found is shown
ID, name, language and translation are separated
ID is saved as the field value
Sample image above shows Data Source Type Option with sample of manually entered dummy options in two languages.
Field data is stored as table columns in the database. The Mapping section defines how the fields are identified and used on a database level by the platform and your application.
The mapping key defines the exact name of the column that is saved in the database.
The Key field is compulsory when creating a field.
The mapping data type specifies the database data type for this field. Below is a table relating some field common data types with their corresponding database mapping data types.
Common Data Type
Mapping Data Type
Guid
uniqueidentifier
Boolean
bit
String
nvarchar
DateTime
datetime
Integer
integer
Byte
tinyint
Short
smallint
Long
bigint
Float
float
Double
float
Numeric
decimal
ByteArray
binary
Char
char
Xml
xml
For additional information on the mapping data types, click on this link.
Mapping length defines the maximum length of a field.
Default value for length is -1. This defines the length as unlimited.
This checkbox determines whether the current field is a primary key in the database or not.
This checkbox defines whether this field can have a null value in the database.
The Advanced section allows you to control how the platform and the application uses the field.
Advanced configurations are changed only in unique cases. During normal use, these configurations are already done by the system and should not be changed.
Defines whether a field should be shown when using the Quick Search functionality on the platform.
This field option is only available if the field has a class as a data source.
Enabling it, the name field of the class of the data source is included in a quick search or ad hoc query.
The platform currently supports two types of fields.
Real: A real field has a corresponding entry in the database. Virtual: A virtual field does not exist in the database. It is instead used to display results calculated or derived from other values.
Defines if the field needs to have a value when a new instance of that class is created.
Defines whether the field can be edited.
Example: If a field is a unique identifier or a primary key, it may be marked as Read Only to prevent users from modifying it.
This setting defines whether the field is visible in your application.
This is especially useful in cases where the user does not need to see or interact directly with a field in the application while the field is still useful in other use-cases (e.g. generating statistics).
With this option fields with a number data type (Integer, Byte, Short, Long, Float, Double, Numeric) can be configured to be excluded from being formatted.
If a field is excluded from being formatted, when the value of the field is displayed or modified, then the default format of the chosen language without group separators is used.
For example, you can see below a Double data type field which is formatted (left box) and which is excluded from number formatting by this option (right box).
The default mode defines for the field kind Real or Language at what point should a field be saved to the database.
None The default expression will not be used.
Creation The field is saved when the class object is created.
Insertion The field is saved when the class object is saved.
This configuration allows you to generate a default value for a field when an object of the class is created.
This is particularly useful when the field value is being automatically generated via a method.
For the Virtual field kind it is possible to choose between two expression types:
Expression
Script
As the name implies, for the type Expression it is possible to write an expression and for the type Script it is possible to write a script with the Script Designer to provide the value of the virtual field.
Option for the expression type Expression to write an expression to provide a value for the field kind Virtual.
Option for expression type Script to write a script with the Script Designer which provides the value for the field kind Virtual.
In the Store section of the Advanced options it is possible to set an expression or write a script which are set during the field saving process.
Two expression types are available:
Expression
Script
Option for the expression type Expression to write an expression to provide a store value.
Option for expression type Script to write a script with the Script Designer which provides the store value.
This section deals with specific read and write permissions of the field for single users or user groups.
More information about permissions can be found in the Rights Designer.
None No data source defined for the option list leaving it blank.
Class The user can set which class and field to read from to populate the combo-box options.
Controller The user can use code from a controller to determine how the options list should be built.
Option The user can manually add possible options in a multi-line textbox (one option per line).
