This page is is for application designers who need to create forms. It explains techniques for associating label text with a data field.

Overview

PhixFlow has different components that you can use to add text to a screen. 

1. Static Text: for specific text that you want to show on a screen

1. .
2. Dynamic Text: for text that changes depending on

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When you are designing a form on a dashboard, first add a form component. The form component is the container for all the data fields and labels; see Screen Structure. You bind the form component to a stream or view; see Showing Data on a Screen. This tells PhixFlow what attributes are available to display in data fields or labels. 

Opening the List of Attributes

To open the list of available attributes for a form component:

Adding Static Text

1. screen activity.
2. Labelled Fields: for displaying table attribute values with labels.
3. Place Holder Text: for form field. It appears as low-light text that displays details about a data field or instructions for the user to follow.

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Adding Static Text

Static text is useful for many purposes including headings, button labels and instructions that you want the screen to display. To add a static text field:

1. From the paletteOpen your Palette, drag a static text field component onto a form container.In the properties, in Basic Settings → Display Text, enter your screen.

   1. Static text templates can typically be found in the Basic Layout and Text sections of a palette.  

2. To edit the text, in the properties for the static text navigate to Basic Settings → Display Text.

   1. To open the properties for the item simply click on the item on the screen.

3. Enter the fixed text you want to appear.

4. Use the Style Settings section to format the text. For example, you can specify the colour, weight and size of the text colour or select bold formatting.

5. Save your changes.

Creating Labelled Fields

A form is made up of data fields that display data. The application user can add new data or edit existing data in the fields.

To create a data field with its associated label, create labelled field:

• either by starting with data
• or by starting with components from the palette.

A lablled field is a simple, grouped, layout. The name of the labelled field binds it to an attribute with the same name; see Understanding Labelled Fields, below.

Adding Dynamic Text

Dynamic text is useful when the text needs to adapt to the content of the screen, for example to show the name of a selected company. To add dynamic text:

1. Open your Palette, drag a dynamic text field component onto your screen.

   1. Dynamic text templates can typically be found in the Basic Layout and Text sections of a palette..  

2. To have the dynamic text reflect the value held in a table backing your screen, such as the name of an employee, simply name the Dynamic Text field to be the same as the attribute you wish to display. It is also possible to do the same with context variables.

3. Where there is no underlying table or the attribute value is empty, we can specify the default text to be displayed. In the properties for the dynamic text navigate to Basic Settings → Default Value.

   1. To open the properties for the item simply click on the item on the screen.

4. Enter the text you want to appear.

5. Use the Style Settings section to format the text. For example, you can specify the colour, weight and size of the text.

6. Save your changes.

Adding Labelled Fields

Labelled fields are used to display and enter data on a form. We recommend adding attributes directly to a screen as PhixFlow will automatically:

• chooses a component that matches the attribute's data type.
• names the components.
• binds the field to the attribute.
• Styles the form field.

Starting with Data (recommended)

1. In the dashboard screen or dashboard screen element, to add a form container, right-click and select 

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2. From a list of attributes, drag an attribute onto the form container. 
3. For the first attribute you add, PhixFlow asks you to confirm that you want to bind this form container to the stream table or view.
4. PhixFlow recognises that you want to add fields to a form. It adds a labelled field component designed to display the attributes data.

1. uses the default labelled field, which is set in the Application Properties properties or in System Configuration

Where the attribute name is a good reflection of it's data, you can use this to add a label. To change the label to something that is more helpful to the application user:

1. Click on the data field, then click again to select the label. PhixFlow opens the label's property tab.
2. In Basic Settings change the Display Text, then save your changes.

You cannot drop an attribute directly onto a dashboard, dashboard element or area as PhixFlow does not know what type of component you want to add.

The default component to use when you drag attributes onto a dashboard are set in the Application Properties properties or in System Configuration.

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Starting with Components from the Palette

In the dashboard or dashboard element, to add a form container, right-click and select  Insert excerpt_form_new_form_newnopaneltrue. The form container has not data bound to it.If the palette tab is not shown on the right, in the dashboard toolbar, click the Insert excerpt_palette_palettenopaneltrue icon.

1. Expand a palette that has field or labelled field components, such as:

   • Basic Components
   • Labelled Fields
   • Theme 1 - App Builder Base Components
   • Theme 2 - App Builder Base Components

2. Open your palette and expand one of the Form Fields sections, such as Form Fields by Data Type.

3. Drag components onto a form container.

   NoteSelect a field or labelled field that matches

   , these should match the type of data

   that it will display

   you wish to display for example Date or Number.

4. Enter a name so that PhixFlow can save the component to the repository.

   For labelled fields, enter a name that reflects the label you want to see on the dashboard.

   Labelled fields use the name entered as it's label.

5. No date will display until the screen is backed by data.

To bind the screen to data

Changing a Labelled Field

You may want to add another component to a labelled field. For example, you could add:

• a static text component, to explain what the user can do.
• a dynamic text component, to show information from a selected record.

However, the property View Type Field container prevents additional components being added to the container. To add another text field:

1. Bind the form container to a stream table or view; see Showing Data on a Screen.

2. For each labelled field, rename the area to be the same as the name of an attribute in the backing data.
   PhixFlow automatically renames the data field and displays its data. The label remains unchanged.

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Basic Components: individual data field and text components

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Understanding Labelled Fields

Components

A labelled field is made up of:

• an area that contains:
  • a static text field
  • a data field that displays data from the attribute.

Naming

PhixFlow uses the same text for:

• the area name
• the data field name
• the static text Basic Settings → Display Text.

When you start with data, the text is the name of the attribute.
When you start with a labelled field from the palette, the text is the name you give the component.

PhixFlow binds the labelled field to an attribute with the same name, when one is present in the backing stream or view.

Labelled fields: a composite component comprising a data field and a static text field

Illustration

The following screenshot shows the different components in a labelled field.

• The orange box highlights the containing area.
• The top green box highlights static text field, which has the Display text Name.
• The bottom green box is a data field, in this case for a string.

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The components are grouped together. If you drag one on the dashboard, all three components move. 

Properties

The area for a labelled field has the properties:

• Basic Settings → Composite Component ticked.
  This groups the child components together. If you drag the data field, the text field moves with it: see Grouping Components.
• Advanced → View Type: Field container, to link the component with an attribute.
  When the area or data field name is the same as an attribute in the backing stream or view, PhixFlow display the attribute data in the field.

Changing Names and Labels

If you change the name of either the data field or the area, PhixFlow automatically:

• updates the name of the other component, so the names always match
• looks in the backing data for an attribute with the same name
• displays data from the attribute, if there is one that matches.

The static text field is called Label. Edit the static text properties to change it's name or the Display Text.

1. If the name of the labelled field matches the attribute name from the table or view backing the screen the data will be displayed. If the names do not match you can:

   1. right click on a field

   2. Select Change Backing Attribute.

   3. Select the appropriate attribute.

   4. Save your changes.

Setting Place Holder Text

It can be useful to display information in the field itself. For example, a data field could have placeholder text giving instructions to the user , such as to "Add customer's request here". Placeholder text is only displayed when a field has no data to display. This means you can use placeholder text instead of a label when a form has easily-identifiable data, such as a name, address and phone number. 

1. Drag a data form field from the palette onto a form.

2. Name the field. PhixFlow opens the field properties.

3. In the Basic Settings section:

   • either edit the Place Holder Text property to enter the placeholder text you want to use  Image RemovedImage Added

   • or tick Use Field Name as Place Holder. PhixFlow uses field's name as the placeholder text. 

4. Click 

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Adding a Dynamic Text Label

1. .

For a Grid

1. Create a dashboard with a grid and form, both bound to the same stream or view. 

2. Add a dynamic text component to the form.

3. Give the dynamic text component the same name as an attribute in the backing data.

For a Card

1. Drag a stream directly onto a dashboard. In the pop-up window, select the card component.

2. Optionally, select related attributes.

3. In the card header, add a dynamic text component.

4. Give the dynamic text component the same name as an attribute in the backing data.

The following dashboard has:

• a grid at the top
• a form below.

The form's heading displays the business name from the selected record in the grid.

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Dashboard with grid (top) and form (below) 

The form's heading is a dynamic text component. It is set to display the attribute Name from the selected record in a grid.

Both the data grid and the form are bound to a stream called Business, which includes the attribute called Name.     

In the dynamic text field properties, the Name property is set to Name. PhixFlow recognises that Name is an attribute. This creates a link between the dynamic text field and the attribute.

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