Text Component

Text

Function: a!textField()

Displays and allows entry of a single line of text. For a multiple line of text, use a paragraph component.

Parameters

Name Keyword Type Description
Label label Text Optional text to display as the field label.
Label Position labelPosition Text Optional text to determine where the label appears. Valid values include
  • "ABOVE" (default) Displays the label above the component.
  • "ADJACENT" Displays the label to the left of the component.
  • "COLLAPSED" Hides the label. The label will still be read by screen readers; see accessibility considerations for more information.
  • "JUSTIFIED" Aligns the label alongside the component starting at the edge of the page.
Instructions instructions Text Optional text displayed below the field's value.
Help Tooltip helpTooltip Text Displays a help icon with the specified text as a tooltip. The tooltip displays a maximum of 500 characters. The help icon does not show when the label position is "COLLAPSED".
Placeholder placeholder Text Optional text to display in the field when it is empty. Does not show if the field is read only.
Display Value value Text The value to display in the text field.
Save Input To saveInto Save Array One or more variables that are updated with the text when the user changes it. Use a!save() to save a modified or alternative value to a variable.
Refresh After refreshAfter Text Determines when the interface is refreshed with the saved value from the text field. Valid values are "KEYPRESS" to refresh after every character typed into the field and "UNFOCUS" (the default value) to refresh when the user deselects the field after changing its value.
Required required Boolean Determines if a value is required to submit the form. Default is false.
Required Message requiredMessage Text Custom message to be displayed when the field's value is required and not provided.
Read-only readOnly Boolean If set to 'true', prohibits users from editing the *value*. Default is false.
Disabled disabled Boolean Determines if the user is prevented from changing the value. Default is false.
Masked masked Boolean Determines if the value is obscured from view. Default is false.
Validations validations Text Array Validation errors to be displayed below the field when the value is not null.
Validation Group validationGroup Text When present, this field is only validated when a button in the same validation group is clicked.
Alignment align Text Alignment of the text value (except on mobile devices). Valid values are "LEFT", "CENTER", and "RIGHT". Appian recommends setting the alignment when used in an editable grid component only.
Visibility showWhen Boolean Determines whether the component is displayed on the interface. When set to false, the component is hidden and is not evaluated. Default: true.

Notes

  • Useful for displaying values of another type that require formatting other than the original type’s default formatting.
  • If Read-only is set to true, the component's value displays without a box around it.
  • If you pass the same local variable to Display Value and Save Input To when Read-only is set to false, you can use the user's input into the component to modify the interface, such as filtering a grid.
  • Whether placeholder text clears on focus or input varies by device and browser. Placeholder text does not display on Microsoft Internet Explorer 9.

Examples

Copy and paste an example into the INTERFACE DEFINITION in EXPRESSION MODE to see it displayed.

Text with Only a Label

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=a!textField(
  label: "Title",
  value: "Expenses could not be submitted",
  readOnly: true
)

Displays the following:

Text with Label and Instructions

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=a!textField(
  label: "Title",
  instructions: "The ticket title is exactly as entered by the creator",
  value: "Expenses could not be submitted",
  readOnly: true
)

Displays the following:

Time with Special Formatting

For example, to show the time in 24-hour format:

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=a!textField(
  label: "Daily Meeting Time",
  value: text(time(13, 20), "hh:mm"),
  readOnly: true
)

Displays the following:

Integer with no Formatting or with Special Formatting

For example, to show an integer with no thousand separators:

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=a!textField(
  label: "Reference Number",
  value: 12345,
  readOnly: true
)

Displays the following:

To show an integer as a currency:

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=a!textField(
  label: "Amount",
  value: dollar(12345),
  readOnly: true
)

Displays the following:

Date with Special Formatting

For example, to show the date in m/dd/yy format:

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=a!textField(
  label: "Created On",
  value: text(date(2013,1,12), "m/dd/yy"),
  readOnly: true
)

Displays the following:

Date and Time with Special Formatting

To show the date and time in "m/dd/yy h:mm a" format, excluding the time zone:

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=a!textField(
  label: "Created On",
  value: text(datetime(2013,1,12, 11, 20), "m/dd/yy h:mm a"),
  readOnly: true
)

Text with a Length Validation

To validate that a value enter by the user meets a particular character limit:

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=load(
  local!storedPhoneNumber: "555-456-7890-876",
  a!textField(
    label: "Phone Number",
    instructions: "Include only dashes and numbers. For example, 555-456-7890.",
    value: local!storedPhoneNumber,
    saveInto: local!storedPhoneNumber,
    validations: if(
      len(local!storedPhoneNumber) > 12,
      "Limit your entry to 12 characters",
      ""
    )
  )
)

See also: Interface Recipe: Format the User's Input, Interface Recipe: Define a Simple Currency Component, Interface Recipe: Add Multiple Text Components Dynamically

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