Editing Labelled Form Fields

Understanding Labelled Fields

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.

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

You can also see the same structure in the repository Layouts list. Right-click on a component and select  Show in repository. 

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.

To add additional static or dynamic text fields to a labelled field; see Changing a Labelled Field, below.

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. From the palette, drag a static text or dynamic text component onto a form container.

2. In the dashboard right-click the existing labelled field and select  Find in Repository.

3. PhixFlow opens the repository listing Layouts. In the layouts list, find the container for the labelled field and double-click it to open its properties.

4. In the Advanced section, the View Type is set to Field container. Expand the drop-down list and select the empty row. 

5.  Save the properties. This "opens" the container so you can add more components to it.

6. In the layouts list, shift-click and drag the new text component into the container. PhixFlow moves your component to be a child of the container.

7. Remember

   Go back to the container properties to reset Advanced →View Type back to Field container and  OK.