Field Properties

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Field Properties

You use this program to define various attributes for selected fields in a single form or across all forms. Fields in a form can be editable or non-editable and typically comprise a caption and matching value.

Properties

Field Description

Close Select this to save your changes and to exit the program.

Next Field Select this to view or maintain the next field in the form.

Previous Field Select this to view or maintain the properties for the previous field in the form.

Reset Field

Select this to reset the field to its default properties.

To reset the entire form to its defaults, you can (typically) use your right mouse button in the form and select the Reset Form option. Alternatively, you can press Ctrl+F5.

Appearance of Caption

Caption

This indicates the current caption for the selected field.

You can change this caption by entering the required caption and overwriting the current caption.


	The caption is only changed on the currently selected form.

Background color

Select this to define the background color for the caption of the field.

You use the drop down selector to select a standard color.

Foreground color

Select this to define the color of the text of the field caption.

You use the dropdown selector to select a standard color.

Font Select this to define the font for the caption.

Height This enables you to set the height of the caption block. This does not change the height of the caption text.

Visible

Select this to display the field on the form.

When you deselect this option, the field is no longer displayed in the form. If you want to re-display it, you can (typically) use your right mouse button in the form and select the Show Captions option.

Word wrap

Select this if you want to wrap long captions around onto the next line.

This is used in conjunction with the Height option to reduce the width taken up by long captions.

Indicate required field

Enable this to indicate that the field is a mandatory field.

Note that this merely displays an asterisk next to the field caption but does not force the operator to enter any information.

You need to use VBScripting to enforce the field policies required.

Theme

You use this option to indicate the theme you require for the caption of the field.

The dropdown list displays some XAML themes that can be applied to the caption.

Each of these XAML themes relate to a XAML markup file that contains place holders. These place holders are numbered %1%, %2%, %3%, etc., and are replaced by the values in the cell at run time. Unless VBScript code has been added to the listview, each cell only contains one value, so it only uses the first placeholder (%1%). If the XAML markup file requires more than one value (e.g. in displaying charts and trend lines) then applying the markup code to the column does not display a meaningful image.

Appearance of All Captions

These options apply to the properties of the entire form.

To restore all captions in the form to the default, you can press Ctrl+F5.

Theme for all captions

You use this option to indicate the theme you require for all captions within the selected form.

This overrides the theme entered at the Theme defined in the Appearance of Caption section.

If a theme already existed against one or more fields on the form, then it is replaced by the theme selected here.

Height for all captions

You use this option to indicate the height you require for all captions within the selected form. This enables you to increase or decrease the row height for all the captions in the selected form. The default height is 20.

This overrides the theme entered at the Height defined in the Appearance of Caption section.

Appearance of Data These options relate to the data entry section of the field.

Background color

Select this to define the background color for the entry portion of the field.

You use the dropdown selector to select a standard color.

Foreground color

Select this to define the color of the text that is entered for the field.

You use the dropdown selector to select a standard color.

Font

You use this option to indicate the font, font style and size for the field caption.

The default is: Tahoma Regular 8pt.

Alignment

You use this option to indicate the how you want the data entered for the field to be aligned.

The data is only aligned once you tab or enter off the field.

Theme You use this option to indicate the theme you require for the data entry portion of the field.

Behaviour

Entry type This indicates the entry type (alpha, numeric, date, etc) defined against this field. It is displayed for information purposes only, and cannot be changed.

Read only

Select this to set the field as a read only field.

If you select this option, then operators cannot change the value in the field using the mouse or the keyboard.

The value of the field can, however, be changed using a script. If events against other fields or forms cause a script to be invoked and that script contains lines that modify the value against the read only field, then the lines are executed and the field value is modified accordingly.

The implementation of the Read only functionality rests with SYSPRO. Therefore, even if you set a field as Read only, it may not behave as such.

For example, the Nationality field in AP Invoice Posting can be set to Read only. However, if the supplier's nationality code is defined as an EC member, then the Nationality field will be enabled for editing.

If you want to prevent operators from changing the Nationality, you can use the Hide caption option to remove it from the form.

Password mask Select this if you want to display underscore ( _ ) characters in the data entry portion of the field instead of the actual data entered.

Upper-case conversion

Select this if you want the system to automatically convert any alphabetic text entered in the field value into uppercase.

This only applies to fields on entry forms.

This overrides the Case settings defined on the Key type tab in Company Maintenance.

Any text entered before this option is selected is not converted automatically. When the operator tabs over the field, any existing value is converted to uppercase. The operator is prompted to save the changes as the system sees it as a change to the field value. If the operator does not save the changes, the field is saved and later displayed as it was before.

Multiline count

Select this to indicate the number of lines to display before a scroll bar is displayed.

This can help to reduce the width of the form when some fields within it contain a lot of data. This only affects the way in which the data is displayed on the form and not how it is stored.

This only applies to a multiline field.

Maximum length

You use this option to indicate the maximum number of characters that can be entered in the field value.

This only applies to alphanumeric fields on entry forms.

The default length is the standard length of this field and can be reduced but not increased.

Input mask

Enter a mask to limit the type of characters and the number of characters that can be entered for a field value.

The input mask consists of character types which define the edit mask and placeholders for the number of characters which can be entered for each specific character type. The placeholders are defined using the underscore ( _ ) key.

Input masks can be applied to editable and non-editable fields, but cannot be applied to a hyperlinked form field (i.e. you cannot apply an input mask and a hyperlink to the same caption on a display form).

The basic format for an input mask is an underscore followed by the mask character (e.g. _0_0_0 for a 3 digit number). For example: The input mask for a telephone number, restricted to only numeric values with the area code displayed inside of parentheses, would be (_0_0_0) _0_0_0-_0_0_0_0.

Additional characters can be combined with the mask characters to create a restrictive field for text entry. For example: you could define an input mask for Stock code as: Color: _L_L_L Size: _0_0_0. This entry would be displayed in the form as: Stock code Color:___ Size: ___

The following mask characters can be used to define the input mask:

Mask characters	Description
0	Allow numeric characters (0-9)
9	Allow numeric characters (0-9) or space (' ')
#	Allow numeric characters (0-9) or space (' ') or ('+') or ('-')
L	Allow alpha characters in upper or lowercase (a - Z)
?	Allow alpha characters in upper or lowercase (a - Z) or space (' ')
A	Allow alphanumeric characters (0-9 and a-Z)
a	Allow alphanumeric characters (0-9 and a-Z) or space (' ')
&	All print character only. Allows characters a-z, A-Z and any arbitrary unicode characters. Control characters are not allowed.
H	Allow hexadecimal digits (0-9 and A-F)
X	Allow hexadecimal digits (0-9 and A-F) and space (' ')
>	Automatically changes any alpha character entered to uppercase (A-Z)
<	Automatically changes any alpha character entered to lowercase (a-z)

Button

These options enable you to add a button to the entry portion of the field.

The button is placed to the right of the data entry area of the field.

Caption You use this field to indicate a name for the button.

Tooltip

You use this field to enter the text you want to display as a tooltip for the button.

The tooltip is displayed when you move the mouse pointer over the button.

You typically use this to display additional information about the field or the type of entry required for the field.

Icon This enables you to add an icon for the button.

Add Select this to add an icon to the button. The icon is displayed and the button's caption is hidden.

Remove Select this to remove the icon for the button. The button's caption is displayed.

Help Panel

Help text

You use this field to enter any text you want to display for the field. This is displayed at the bottom of the form.

This is particularly useful for adding information about any custom fields you added to the form.

A maximum of 200 characters can be entered.

To display the text, you highlight the field in the form and typically use your right mouse button to select the '?' icon from the toolbar displayed. Alternatively, you can select the Show help automatically option to always display the help text when you highlight the field.

Help text is not available for Group Headings.

Show help automatically Select this to always display the help text in a pane at the bottom of the form when you highlight the field.

Field Properties for All Forms

Field Description

Close Select this to return to the previous screen.

New Select this to add a new entry.

Save

Select this to save the details you entered or changed.

The field properties are saved in the Form_Defaults.xml file in the \Base\Settings folder on the application server.

Save and Exit

Select this to save the details you entered or changed and to return to the previous screen.

The field properties are saved in the Form_Defaults.xml file in the \Base\Settings folder on the application server.

Delete Select this icon to delete the currently highlighted entry.

Caption

You use this field to enter the caption you want to change.

This entry is not case sensitive.

New caption

You use this field to optionally enter a new caption for the field.

This can be left blank if you merely want to enter Help text or define an Input mask for the field, without changing the description (caption) of the field.

Help text

You use this field to enter any text you want to display (at the bottom of the form) for the field.

A maximum of 200 characters can be entered.

To display the text, you highlight the field in the form and typically use your right mouse button to select the '?' icon from the toolbar displayed. Alternatively, you can select the Show help automatically option from the Field Properties menu, to always display the help text when you highlight the field.

Input mask

Enter a mask to limit the type of characters and the number of characters that can be entered for a field value.

The following mask characters can be used to define the input mask:

Mask characters	Description
0	Allow numeric characters (0-9)
9	Allow numeric characters (0-9) or space (' ')
#	Allow numeric characters (0-9) or space (' ') or ('+') or ('-')
L	Allow alpha characters in upper or lowercase (a - Z)
?	Allow alpha characters in upper or lowercase (a - Z) or space (' ')
A	Allow alphanumeric characters (0-9 and a-Z)
a	Allow alphanumeric characters (0-9 and a-Z) or space (' ')
&	All print character only. Allows characters a-z, A-Z and any arbitrary unicode characters. Control characters are not allowed.
H	Allow hexadecimal digits (0-9 and A-F)
X	Allow hexadecimal digits (0-9 and A-F) and space (' ')
>	Automatically changes any alpha character entered to uppercase (A-Z)
<	Automatically changes any alpha character entered to lowercase (a-z)

Company ID

You use this field to indicate the specific SYSPRO company ID to which you want to apply the changed caption.


	If you leave this column blank, then the changed caption is applied to all SYSPRO companies.

Notes and warnings

Program access

You access the Field Properties and Field Properties for All Forms windows by selecting the relevant option from the context-menu that appears when you right-click on a field within a form.

You can also access the Field Properties for All Forms program from the Customization Tools dropdown option found on the Administration tab on the SYSPRO Ribbon bar.
Field Properties and Field Properties for All Forms are disabled when access is denied to the Field Properties for Forms program.

Field property considerations

The field property changes you make apply only to the selected field in the selected form. The field property attributes within the form take precedence over any global attributes defined for the field.
The field property options which are available depend on the type of field you are editing.

Form settings

To reset the entire form to its defaults, you can (typically) right-click in the form and select Reset Form. Alternatively, you can press Ctrl+F5.
If you access the Field Properties for All Forms program from a form within a program, then you will need to close that program and reselect it for your changes to take effect.