Text box control

Each control in a presentation is assigned a unique Control ID that is read-only.

This read-only value is the text value that is associated with the database attribute bound to this control.

If you enter a text value in this field, it overrides the Default Label for the control. This label is specific to the application and is not stored in the MAXATTRIBUTE or APPFIELDDEFAULTS tables.

By default, the label value always appears in the user interface. Select this check box to make the label invisible.

Select this option to disable smart fill which is turned on by default. Smart fill enables a user to enter a partial value in a text box which the system attempts to match to a valid value, or values, in the database. When a matching value is found, the value is entered in the text box. If the system finds more than one matching value, the user can select one from a list of matching values. If you turn smart fill off, user text is not validated during entry.

You can associate this control with a database attribute. Not all attributes have a Default Label value.

Specify a data source ID if you want this control to use a different data source than the parent. If the control is creating a data source and the Data Source ID property is not set, the ID defaults to the ID of the control. If the data source is blank, the control inherits the data source from the parent. If no parent controls have a data source specified or if the parent is the application, MAINRECORD is the data source because it is the primary data source for the application.

You can specify a lookup ID to link this control to a pre-formatted lookup table that pulls records from the main table. A user can select a record from the lookup table to use in this control.

Lookup IDs are stored in the lookups.xml file. To view the content of this file, export the system XML files.

You can associate a pull-down menu with this control and add application names to it that users can click to go to different applications.

Input mode options are:

• Blank: An input mode with no value is read/write. Any information entered in this field is stored in the database column specified in the Attribute field.
• Default: This mode is used for quick entry of default table data in tables.
• Password: This mode is read/write and displays asterisks.
• Password Readonly: This mode is read-only and displays asterisks.
• Password Required: This mode is read/write and displays asterisks. The record cannot be saved unless there is a value in the field.
• Query: This mode is read-only and shows a typed value.
• Readonly: This mode is read-only and shows grayed-out text.
• Required: This mode is read/write and the record cannot be saved unless the user enters a value in the field.

You can specify the value of a menu ID in this field to link the control to a preformatted drop-down menu. Menu IDs are stored in the menus.xml file. To view the content of this file, export the system XML files.

Reserved for future use.

If you set the Input Mode to Query, you can filter the search by adding a text prefix that acts as filter. For example, the More Search Fields window uses QBE Prepend to add date search filters similar to ">=". You can specify the value here to save key strokes when searching for records that meet specific date criteria.

If deselected, the control can communicate with the database without pausing user activities. If cleared, the user cannot perform activities in other fields until validations for this field are completed. Synchronous activity is disabled by default. If there are dependencies between values specified for this control and other controls in the application, you can enable synchronous activity for the dependent controls.

By default, the system sets a long description associated with a table column attribute to editable. Select this field to make the long description read-only.

Reserved for future use.

You can specify the values to construct a URL for a Knowledge Center topic using the following format: com.ibm.mbs.doc,application/helpfile.html The server address and other information for the URL are controlled by the mxe.help properties which you can review and configure in the System Properties application.

If you specify a URL, a More Information link is added to the field help (Alt + F1) for the control. When the user clicks the link, the target topic opens in the Knowledge Center.

The property is specific to the field ID in the presentation XML file. If you want to provide the same link in other controls or other applications, you must manually add the URL to each individual control.

Specify a record stored in a different object that the user can move to. You can select any Data Source ID from the presentation control.

By default, the system sends the Move To event to the ResultsBean, which contains a set of records displayed in the List tab. The Move To event affects the Move to Data Source ID object.

Signature Option

You can specify a signature option that can restrict access to this control or change the properties of this control based on a condition that you specify. To create a signature option, click Add/Modify Signature Options in the Select Action menu. To specify a condition, click the Configure Conditional Properties button.

Sig Option Data Source ID

An MBO must be used to evaluate whether or not a user has access to a signature option. Specify the value of the data source that performs this evaluation if it is different to the data source that is configured for this control.