Text Area

The Text Area is intended to be uses for long texts, i.e., interactions with the Data Type String.

Control properties

• Id / Name - Identifier of the Form Control. Id / Name needs to be unique for all Form Controls on the same Form. Id / Name also binds the Form Control to an Attribute with the same name of the Variable backing the From. This means that the Form Control will load and show the value from said Attribute when the Form is entered, and that the value of the Form Control is stored in the Attribute when the Form is left by a Save or Sign and Save action. The Form Control can also be bound to an Attribute of a Variable other than the one backing the From by using the fully qualified name as Id / Name:

  • VariableName.AttributeName - Binds the Form Control to an Attribute of a Entity or Variable
  • ContextVariableName.ContextVariableName - Binds the Form Control to a Context Variable that holds only one value without any Attributes

  A detailed explanation of the different linking mechanisms between a Form Control and an Attribute is given in the Variable and Variable Type configuration of the From Activity.

• Label text - Caption rendered above the Form Control thus identifying it to the Users.

• Placeholder - Text show in the Form Control when the Form Control is empty.

• Help text - Explanation of the Form Control shown below the Form Control.

• Default value - Default value loaded when the Form is entered and no value is available from the linked Attribute.

• Copy from other control - Here, the Id / Name of another Form Control can be entered in Form Control Expression Syntax, e.g., $[FromControlName]. Then, whenever the value of the other Form Control is changed, the new value will be taken over in this Form Control. The changes will not be taken over immediately, but rather when the user’s input is finished and the other Form Control lost its focus. If this field is empty, the copy mechanism is inactive.

• Enable conditional mandatory validation? - This property is similar to the Is field mandatory? property, but allows you to specify a condition determining when the Form Control becomes mandatory. If Enable conditional mandatory validation? is set to No this property is disabled. If set to Yes, a condition can be entered determining when the Form Control becomes mandatory. When the condition evaluates to true, the Form Control cannot be left empty or unspecified in case a Save or Sign and Save Action is triggered. Dismiss and Sign Actions do not enforce the mandatory condition. However, it does not matter if the value was entered by the User or did already existed in the Attributes backing this Form Control, but it just has to exists. When List of values? is set to Yes, this property is ignored.

  • Condition for is mandatory - When this Form Control Expression evaluates to true, the Form Control becomes mandatory. An asterisk in front of its label indicates if the Form Control is currently mandatory.

• Is field mandatory? - When set to No, the Form Control can be left empty or unspecified. When set to Yes, the Form Control cannot be left empty or unspecified. The Actions Save or Sign and Save enforce this condition, while Dismiss and Sign Actions do not enforce it. If set to Yes, it does not matter if the record is entered by the User or did already existed in the Attribute backing this Form Control. Mandatory Form Controls are indicated by an asterisk in front of their label. This property is only available if Enable conditional mandatory validation? is set to to No. When List of values? is set to Yes, Is field mandatory? is ignored and the Require at least one record? property of the LIST CONFIGURATION has to be used instead.

• Disable control? - Makes the Form Control editable (No) or read-only (Yes). Be aware that the content of read-only Form Controls is not stored by Save and Sign and Save Actions in the linked Attribute.

• Hide control? - Hides (Yes) or shows (No) the Form Control in the Form. Be aware that the content of hidden Form Controls is stored by Save and Sign and Save Actions in the linked Attribute.

• Condition type - Allows you to hide or disable the Form Control based on a Form Control Expression evaluating to true or false:

  • Display - Hides the Form Control when the Form Control Expression evaluates to false and shows it when the Form Control Expression evaluates to true. Be aware that the content of hidden Form Controls is stored by Save and Sign and Save Actions in the linked Attribute.
  • Disable - Makes the Form Control editable when the Form Control Expression evaluates to false and makes it read-only when the Form Control Expression evaluates to true. Be aware that the content of read-only Form Controls is not stored by Save and Sign and Save Actions in the linked Attribute.
  • Display condition or Disable condition - The Form Control Expression behind the condition

• List of values? - Form Control represents an array (Yes) or a single value (No). Form Controls of arrays have two additional properties:

  • Require at least one record? - Specifies if the array can be empty (No) or must have at least one record (Yes). This property is equal to the Is field mandatory? property of non-array values. The Actions Save or Sign and Save enforce this condition, while Dismiss and Sign Actions do not enforce it. If set to Yes, it does not matter if the record is entered by the User in the current session or did already exist in the array backing this Form Control. An asterisk next to the title indicates to the Users, that this property is set to Yes and at least one record is required.
  • Disable delete? - When set to No, all entries in the array backing the Form Control can be deleted. If set to Yes, only new entries entered by the User in the current session can be deleted but entries already in the array cannot not be deleted.

VALIDATIONS

Validations are rules to check the Users' inputs for singe and array Form Controls alike. You can add multiple validations to a Form Control and they are checked in an arbitrary order. The validations are checked if the a Save or Sign and Save Action is triggered. Clicking Add Validation creates a new validation, clicking removes a Validation. In case the Form Control represents an array, all entries of the array must fulfill all validations. The following Validation types are available and can be configured with the described properties by clicking on …:

• Length - Entered string must be of a specific length
  • Error message - This message is shown to the Users in case the validation fails.
  • Minimum length - The entered string must be at least as long as this or longer. If no minimum length is specified, the minimum length is not not enforced.
  • Maximum length - The entered string must be shorter or equally long as this. If no maximum length is specified, the maximum length is not not enforced.
• Min/Max Value - Entered value must be within a certain range
  • Error message - This message is shown to the Users in case the validation fails.
  • Minimum value - The entered number must be equal or grater to this value. If no minimum value is specified, the minimum value is not not enforced.
  • Maximum value - The entered number must be equal or smaller to this value. If no maximum value is specified, the maximum value is not not enforced.
• Number - Checks if the entered value is an integer.
  • Error message - This message is shown to the Users in case the validation fails.
• Date - Checks if the entered string is a valid date in the format 'yyyy-MM-dd'.
  • Error message - This message is shown to the Users in case the validation fails.
• Equal to other field - Tests if the entered value is equal to the value of another Form Control.
  • Error message - This message is shown to the Users in case the validation fails.
  • Other field name / id - Id / Name referencing the other Form Control the content of this Form Control should be equal to.
• Not equal to other field - Tests if the entered value is not equal to the value of another Form Control.
  • Error message - This message is shown to the Users in case the validation fails.
  • Other field name / id - Id / Name referencing the other Form Control the content of this Form Control should not be equal to.
• Greater than - Tests if the entered value is grater than the value of another Form Control.
  • Error message - This message is shown to the Users in case the validation fails.
  • Other field name / id - Id / Name referencing the other Form Control holding a lower bound for this Form Controls content.
• Less than - Tests if the entered value is smaller than the value of another Form Control.
  • Error message - This message is shown to the Users in case the validation fails.
  • Other field name / id - Id / Name referencing the other Form Control holding an upper bound for this Form Controls content.
• Email - Checks if the entered string follows the convention of email addresses.
  • Error message - This message is shown to the Users in case the validation fails.
• Url - Checks if the entered string follows the convention of URLs.
  • Error message - This message is shown to the Users in case the validation fails.
• Regex - Tests if the entered value matches a Regular Expression (RegEx).
  • Error message - This message is shown to the Users in case the validation fails.
  • Regex pattern - The Regular Expression the value of this Form Control needs to match. The Regular Expression has to follow the JavaScipt Regular Expression dialect.
• Sql - Tests the entered value with a custom SQL SELECT query.
  • Error message - This message is shown to the Users in case the validation fails.
  • Sql - The SQL SELECT query to test the entered value. The query must return only one field, which is 0 if the validation fails and 1 if the validation is successful. The value from the Form Control is accessed in the query by @value.